Iran Emphasizes 'Permanent Closure' of Military Inspection File

Simultaneously with the visit of Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to Tehran, and in response to his remarks about the agency's limitations in inspections, the spokesperson of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced that the inspection file of military sites is 'permanently closed.' Behrouz Kamalvandi stated on Saturday, November 6, in an interview with the IRIB news agency, that Reuters' report on the IAEA director's statements was 'fabrication' and emphasized that not only military sites but also other centers where nuclear activities are not conducted are 'automatically outside the agency's requests for inspection.' On October 25, Yukiya Amano had stated that the agency's tools for verification regarding section 'T' of the Vienna nuclear agreement are 'limited.' According to Amano, in other areas, Iran has committed to 'provide declarations, bring its activities under safeguards, or guarantee agency access,' but such commitments are not seen in relation to section 'T.' Section 'T' refers to activities that could contribute to the design and development of a nuclear explosive device. Now, the spokesperson of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has said that 'the issue of entering military sites is a diversionary topic to create dissenting voices within Iran and to base requests on those dissenting voices.' He added, 'We must be very careful not to get caught up in such media fabrications because currently, there is no such thing as inspection of military sites in the agency, and there never will be.' Kamalvandi did not provide further details about what he called 'dissenting voices' within Iran. Despite the confirmation of the Vienna nuclear agreement by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, he and his close associates continue to criticize this agreement, calling it 'pure losses' and beneficial to the Western side. In contrast, the U.S. President and his administration consider the nuclear agreement to be in favor of Iran, and among Donald Trump's grievances is Iran's financial benefit from the nuclear agreement. Trump also views the limited capabilities of agency inspectors to monitor Iranian sites as a disadvantage of the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers. The IAEA Board of Governors closed the file on the possible military dimensions of the nuclear case known as PMD in a special session on December 25, 2015, following the director's report. Critics of the current nuclear agreement argue that the PMD file was not thoroughly examined and closed, leaving questions that the Trump administration should pursue. Olli Heinonen, former deputy director-general of the IAEA, had previously stated to Radio Farda: 'The PMD file was not truly closed. It was a political decision. The Board of Governors can announce whatever it wants. However, there are still unanswered questions, and actions taken to close the file have been contrary to the agency's usual process.' The spokesperson of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran also described the IAEA director's visit to Iran as 'an effort to strengthen the nuclear agreement.' Kamalvandi dismissed a letter from 13 U.S. senators ahead of this visit as a 'futile effort' aimed at 'creating an atmosphere in the international arena' and deemed it 'unworthy of attention.' The 13 Republican senators, in a letter to Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, called for IAEA inspections of the Islamic Republic's military facilities and intensified verification of Iran's commitments under the nuclear agreement with six world powers. They also expressed their concerns about the current state of inspections and the verification of the nuclear agreement being carried out by the IAEA. According to Iranian media reports, Yukiya Amano arrived in Tehran on Saturday night, and his agenda for Sunday includes meetings and discussions with Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization, and other Iranian officials. This visit comes less than two weeks after Donald Trump refused to certify Iran's compliance with the Vienna nuclear agreement. In addition to Iran's financial benefit from the nuclear agreement and the limited capabilities of the agency in inspections, the temporary nature of parts of the nuclear agreement, the failure of the agreement to prevent missile tests, and Iran's non-compliance with the spirit of the agreement are among the grievances of the U.S. President, who calls it 'the worst deal ever' and 'a shame for America.' He has also threatened to end the agreement if he cannot work with Congress and U.S. allies to fix its flaws. Given the lack of U.S. certification of Iran's compliance, Congress has until mid-December to comment on the possibility of reinstating sanctions against Iran, a decision that could jeopardize the future of the nuclear agreement.