Iran, as a signatory nation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, is bound by the terms of the treaty to report the existence of a nuclear enrichment facility to the International Atomic Energy Agency a minimum of six months before it becomes operational, and to permit full inspections. Apparently the Qom facility is eighteen months from operational status, allowing the Iranians to claim that they are actually in full compliance with their treaty commitments and in fact gave the IAEA information about the facility completely voluntarily some twelve months before they had to.

The US, France and Britain claim that the facility was secret and Iran only went to the IAEA once US intelligence had discovered the facility for themselves. This point seems to have been briefly disputed by both sides before they, surprisingly sensibly, dropped it in favour of moving on to the new talks based on the current situation. IAEA inspectors are going into the Qom facility in about three weeks' time, so it'll be interesting to see what they say.

If, however, the IAEA finds that all is in order, it would seem to further discredit the Israeli claim that Iran is secretly building a nuclear programme designed to threaten Israel. If the IAEA agrees this is not the case (and they have already stated they can find no evidence for such a programme) and if Iran and the other powers at the talks reach an agreement on enriching uranium outside Iran's borders, than Israel's apparently growing desire for an attack on Iran is left without a casus belli. Interesting to see what Israel does in that situation.

Overall, good news. With NATO having no viable military strategy or capability for an incrusion into the country, Iran could have been a lot more obdurate and difficult about this situation than they have been and played hard-ball for more concessions on sanctions and trade. Looks like their own domestic problems have convinced them to take a more reasonable course of action.