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IAEA flagReuters

Iran is taking further action to comply with the terms of an extended interim agreement with six world powers over its disputed atomic activities, a UN nuclear watchdog report obtained by Reuters on Friday showed.

The findings in a monthly update by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) may be seen as positive by the West as negotiations resumed in New York this week on ending the decade-old nuclear stand-off.

The IAEA document made clear that Iran is continuing to meet its commitments under the preliminary accord that it reached with the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia late last year and that took effect in January.

In addition, as agreed when the deal was extended by four months in July, it is using some of its higher-grade enriched uranium in oxide form to produce fuel, according to Reuters.

The IAEA is tasked with checking that Iran is living up to its part of the temporary agreement.

Iran denies Western allegations that it has been working to develop a capability to make atomic bombs, saying it is refining uranium to fuel a planned network of nuclear power plants.

Iran and the powers failed to meet a July 20 target date for an agreement and have extended the deadline to November 24.

Last week, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said his country and world powers remain far apart over Tehran's nuclear program and a "difficult road" lies ahead.

Asked how big the differences were, Araqchi told reporters, "Still big." He added, "We are always optimistic ... but we have a difficult road to go."

These comments appeared to be backed by U.S. negotiator Wendy Sherman, who said this week that Iran cannot convince the world that its current ability to enrich uranium is acceptable.

Iran has been taking an increasingly aggressive line in demanding its "right" to enrich uranium, with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently saying Iran "needs" 19 times more nuclear centrifuges than the amount being offered by world powers.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)