Baeidi-Nejad: The Implementation of the Roadmap is the Result of the Participation of the Country's Defense Sector

Hamid Baeidi-Nejad, head of Iran's negotiating team, reacted to the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) statement on Thursday, stating that the implementation of the 'roadmap' between Iran and the agency is the result of 'very effective and intelligent participation of the country's defense sector.' The IAEA announced on Thursday, October 23, that Iran has provided everything necessary for assessing the past of its nuclear program based on the 'roadmap.' Iran and the IAEA signed a confidential agreement titled 'roadmap' on July 14, which aims to resolve ambiguities related to the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program or 'PMD.' Various stages of cooperation between Iran and the agency have been outlined in the roadmap, with one of these stages completed on Thursday, October 23. According to IRNA, Baeidi-Nejad stated on Thursday: 'The issuance of this statement by the agency is the result of several months of intensive work by Iran with the agency. The coordinated implementation of the roadmap between Iran and the agency is one of the proud achievements resulting from the joint and coordinated efforts of various domestic institutions, especially with the very effective and intelligent participation of the country's defense sector, aimed at rejecting false claims against our country.' This Iranian official did not provide further details on how the defense sector participated, but it seems that Baeidi-Nejad's reference is to collaborations during the visit of Yukiya Amano, the IAEA Director General, to Tehran and his visit to the Parchin military facility in Tehran. Iran was accused of conducting nuclear weapons-related tests at the Parchin military facility. The head of Iran's negotiating team also stated: 'These claims have been raised for over a decade as a political and security dossier against our country, which about four years ago officially turned into a political indictment that documented such issues and claims against our nuclear program, making it nearly impossible for international observers to resolve the PMD issue.' Baeidi-Nejad emphasized: 'As some American media have proven with undeniable documents, the PMD dossier was initiated by the U.S. and the West against Iran to demonstrate the military nature of Iran's nuclear program and the production of nuclear weapons by Iran, and to create a political and psychological environment for the initiation of military action against Iran.' The head of Iran's negotiating team also referred to the agreement between Tehran and the agency regarding the 'roadmap,' stating: 'Iran managed to address this complex dossier through a multifaceted diplomatic-legal-technical approach.' The IAEA Director General is expected to present his final report on Iran's current and past actions to the agency's Board of Governors by December of this year. In this regard, Mark Fitzpatrick, director of the Disarmament Program at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, told Radio Farda: 'The December report of the agency is not directly related to the day the agreement is implemented. Actions that Iran must take based on the Joint Action Plan include removing the core of the Arak reactor, collecting 14,000 centrifuges, and completing the destruction of the remaining low-enriched uranium.' He added: 'It has not been specifically stated that Iran must satisfy the agency regarding the PMD. However, the agency's dissatisfaction politically complicates matters for other countries in implementing the agreement. Therefore, Iran must make every effort to ensure that this cooperation satisfies the agency.'