LONDON—The British Museum has announced that it will send a staff member to Iran to meet with the government there to discuss the possible loan of the ancient Cyrus Cylinder, which has been at the center of a recent dispute between the two parties.

The Iranian government claims that the British Museum has reneged on a 2006 promise to loan the object, which dates to 539–530 B.C.E. and is believed to be the oldest extant charter of human rights. Officials from Iran have threatened to cut off all ties with the British Museum if the loan is not completed, a move that could jeopardize archaeological research in some parts of Iran.

Though Hannah Boulton, a spokesperson for the museum, confirmed that the museum has promised the loan to Iran, she stated that no official timetable was ever discussed. In a letter to the Iranian government, British Museum director Neil MacGregor writes, “Please let me reassure you that the British Museum is very much hoping to send the Cyrus Cylinder on loan to the National Museum of Iran, but as with all our international loans, details and practicalities will have to be discussed.”

Officials from the British Museum stated earlier this month that they were monitoring the political situation in Iran to determine the best possible time to make the loan. Some human rights groups have criticized the Iranian government for the harsh treatment of political protesters in the run-up to and following the recent presidential election, which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won amid charges of electoral corruption.

Read more at Bloomberg.