IAEA: The Issue of the Marivan Site is Not as Simple as Iran Claims

The spokesperson for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Friday, November 30, that the issue of visiting the Marivan area is not as simple as Iran claims, but the agency will discuss this matter with Iran. According to a Reuters report on Friday, IAEA spokesperson Gill Tudor stated that the agency will engage in discussions with Tehran regarding the Islamic Republic's proposal to visit Marivan and the nuclear site that is alleged to be located in that area. Reza Najafi, Iran's representative to the IAEA, told the agency's Board of Governors on Thursday, November 29, that Tehran is willing to allow inspections of Marivan to prove that claims about nuclear explosive tests in the area are baseless and erroneous. Mr. Najafi also told the Islamic Republic's official news agency, IRNA, that such a site does not 'exist,' but added that Iran is willing to grant 'one-time managed access' to this 'alleged site.' However, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) published the full text of the Islamic Republic's representative's speech at the Board of Governors meeting, which not only did not state that such a site does not exist, but emphasized that 'the alleged tests would be easily identifiable if the site in question were visited.' Reuters added that the IAEA's main priority for visits and inspections is the military facility at Parchin, where the agency suspects research and testing on explosive triggers usable in nuclear bombs has taken place. Iran categorically denies this claim. However, at the Board of Governors meeting on Thursday, Iran's representative to the IAEA stated that the agency claimed in its November 2011 report, based on 'information provided by one country,' that 'strong explosive tests' were also 'conducted on a large scale by Iran in the Marivan area.' These statements and the IAEA spokesperson's reaction come at a critical time during the final and sensitive negotiations between Iran, the United States, France, Britain, China, Russia, and Germany to find a final solution to the issue of the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities.