Fabius: Any Agreement with Iran Must Be Verifiable

In another reference to the need for inspections of Iran's nuclear sites, the French Foreign Minister said on Thursday, June 11, that in any agreement with the Islamic Republic, the P5+1 group must be able to 'verify the sites,' but according to him, 'we have not yet reached certainty on this matter.' According to Reuters, Laurent Fabius, the French Foreign Minister, stated in an interview in Paris that the nuclear agreement with Iran 'must be verifiable, but there are still no guarantees in this regard.' This statement from a member of the P5+1 group, who has always taken a more hardline stance than other members of this group against the Islamic Republic, comes as there are less than three weeks left until the deadline for finalizing a comprehensive agreement on Iran's nuclear activities. Iranian nuclear negotiators now have only until the end of this month, just 20 days, to reach a comprehensive agreement with the negotiators from the six P5+1 countries. Nevertheless, according to the French Foreign Minister, the two groups 'have not yet reached the end of discussions.' Laurent Fabius emphasized in his interview that 'we want an agreement with Iran,' but on the other hand, he stated that 'the agreement must be verifiable, robust, and sustainable, and we still have no guarantees in this regard.' According to Mr. Fabius, an agreement that 'is not verifiable will not be implementable either.' In this context, the French Foreign Minister had previously warned that his country would not support any nuclear agreement with Iran unless it allows access to all of Iran's nuclear facilities, including military sites. According to Reuters, Laurent Fabius told members of the French Parliament on Wednesday, June 6, 'If the nuclear agreement does not explicitly mention the possibility of inspections of Iran's facilities, including military sites, France will not accept this agreement.' Mr. Fabius made these remarks while Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, dismissed the issue of inspections of Iran's military sites, and one of the commanders of the Revolutionary Guards stated that inspections of these sites, under any circumstances, would amount to espionage. The French minister's comments on Thursday echoed those of an American official who emphasized the need for investigations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday. According to Reuters, this senior official in the U.S. government, whose name was not mentioned, stated: 'We know that there will be no agreement unless the IAEA can investigate [Iran's nuclear program] by any appropriate and necessary means, including managed access to various sites and locations.' Iran and the P5+1 group have set July 1 as the deadline for reaching a comprehensive nuclear agreement, but recent statements from both sides suggest that many disagreements still exist.