Iran to let nuclear inspections continue

TEHRAN, March 6 (UPI) -- Iran announced Tuesday it was ready to allow U.N. nuclear inspectors into the country to examine the Parchin military installation.

A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency in February said it wasn't given access to the Parchin facility nor was it able to clarify unresolved issues related to possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program.

The Iranian government was quoted by the BBC as saying "access would be granted" to the IAEA if it would "combine all related issues."

The IAEA last year said there may be military dimensions to certain aspects of Iran's nuclear research. Tehran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, though some other governments say the country is working on the technology needed to produce a nuclear weapon.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, in a statement following the announcement that multilateral nuclear talks with Iran would continue, called on Tehran to prove its intentions are peaceful.

"It is time for Iran to choose a different path and to show the world that it wants a peaceful, negotiated solution to the nuclear issue," he said in a statement. "It is for Iran to seize this opportunity and we urge it to do so."

The White House has said all options remain on the table in order to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said nuclear weapons run counter to the teachings of Islam.