Iran: Construction at Parchin Unrelated to Atomic Agency

Iran's representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has responded to recent comments by the agency's director general regarding 'construction' at the Parchin facility, stating that this construction 'is unrelated to the agency.' According to the IRNA news agency, Reza Najafi said on September 7 that the Parchin facility is a 'conventional military site' and that construction there is 'natural.' The IAEA's Board of Governors began its quarterly meeting on September 7 in Vienna, Austria, where the latest developments regarding Iran's nuclear program are among the issues being discussed. At the start of the meeting, Yukiya Amano, the agency's director general, told reporters that much work remains to be done before the end of the current year to determine whether Iran has sought to develop nuclear weapons in the past. Iran has consistently denied pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program. Nevertheless, responding to questions about sensitive facilities like Parchin has been one of the agency's demands over the years. Amano reiterated concerns about new construction at Parchin and its impact on the agency's 'capacity' to investigate the past of Tehran's nuclear program. Najafi, who previously described reports about the presence of equipment and vehicles and the possibility of construction at the facility as 'ridiculous,' reiterated that these constructions 'are unrelated to the agency.' The Iranian official stated, 'It is strange for the agency to say that the addition of a small section to an unrelated building would affect the agency's so-called investigations.' Following the nuclear agreement on July 14 between Iran and six world powers, Tehran and the IAEA also reached an agreement for investigations. This international body has a fundamental responsibility in verifying Iran's nuclear program and thus implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).