Environmental samples have been taken at a sensitive military site in Iran, the head of the UN nuclear agency has said, citing "significant progress" in its investigation of Tehran's past activities.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is investigating whether Iran's past nuclear activities were linked to developing atomic weapons, and is due to provide an assessment on the issue by the end of the year.
The report is crucial to the implementation of a landmark agreement between Iran and world powers in July under which restrictions will be placed on Tehran's nuclear energy programme in exchange for a lifting of sanctions.
IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano said he and the head of the agency's Department of Safeguards, which carries out inspections, visited a building at the Parchin site that the agency had previously only observed in satellite imagery.
Environmental samples were taken before his visit on Sunday, and he said "the Iranian side played a part in the sample-taking process by swiping samples".
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