Iran may allow inspection of nuclear facilities by next month

Iran took a step towards breaking the impasse with United Nations inspectors over access to its nuclear facilities, with a top-level meeting in Cairo yielding the groundwork for a return of monitors potentially as soon as next month, according to two diplomats familiar with the situation.

Whether the agreement between Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and the International Atomic Energy Agency is enough to forestall the re-imposition of punishing UN sanctions will be decided in the next two weeks, the diplomats said, asking not to be identified discussing restricted information.

"This technical document provides for a clear understanding of the procedures for inspection, notifications, and their implementation," IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said Wednesday in Vienna, after returning from the meeting in Egypt.