Speaking to IRNA, he noted that the AEOI is cooperating with the IAEA in the framework of its national interests and there have been good progress in talks.

Commenting on objectives of Yukiya Amano's September 20 visit to Tehran, Salehi said that the IAEA chief had come to discuss with the Iranian officials the nuclear road map signed in mid-July.

He voiced hopes that Iran's nuclear case would be closed in the UN Security Council till the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2016).

Amano has already confirmed Iran's participation in the UN uclear watchdog's verification process.

On Thursday, Amano pushed back against critics questioning the wisdom of letting Iranian experts take samples meant to help determine whether their own country clandestinely worked in the past on atomic arms, saying he is convinced the process was faultless.

His statements came less than a week after confirming that Iranians did the environmental sampling at a site where such alleged experiments took place.

Personnel from his International Atomic Energy Agency normally do the work of swiping equipment and sampling the soil and air at sites they suspect was used for hidden nuclear activities.

Noting that the Iranians were under stringent IAEA monitoring, Amano then had said he was confident 'so far' that the samples were genuine.

He appeared to go further on Thursday, however. While declining to say how far his agency's laboratory analysis has gone, he said he is 'very sure that ... the samples are authentic.'