Iran Requests 24-Day Deadline for Inspections of Facilities

While an Iranian parliament member states that the Lausanne agreement allows for surprise visits to 'all' of Iran's nuclear facilities, the French foreign minister says Tehran has indicated it needs 24 days to grant permission for foreign inspectors to enter its facilities. According to the Lausanne nuclear agreement, if there are suspicions of Iran violating the agreement made with the P5+1 countries, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is designated as the verification authority for Iran's commitments. However, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius stated that Tehran has announced it needs 24 days to allow international inspectors access to its facilities in case of suspected violations of the nuclear agreement. According to the Associated Press, Fabius warned that many things could 'disappear' during this 24-day period. Under the Additional Protocol of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which Iran has voluntarily accepted in the Lausanne agreement, IAEA inspectors would be allowed to conduct surprise inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities whenever deemed necessary. In this regard, Mahmoud Nabavian, a representative from Tehran, stated on Thursday, May 31, that 'the Iranian negotiating team committed to accepting the Additional Protocol, which allows them to come to Iran whenever they want and investigate anywhere in the country.' He added, 'In this section, both parties committed to providing information and surprise visits to all centers, equipment, productions, and the names and titles of Iran's military specialists to the West, which means that the country's security is at risk and leads the country towards war.' A day before Nabavian's remarks, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, warned the West that he would not allow interviews with Iran's nuclear scientists. Hours after these remarks, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf stated that the U.S. government does not intend to respond to every comment made by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Nabavian further stated that if the Additional Protocol is accepted, all IAEA cameras in Iran's nuclear facilities, which are currently 'offline,' will be made 'online.' 220 Iranian parliament members had previously requested that the Iranian negotiating team not agree to 'any specific oversight beyond the NPT' and also to oversight that 'endangers the security of nuclear scientists.' Meanwhile, some Iranian parliament members, including Jawad Karimi Qodosi, a representative from Mashhad, warned about Iran's commitment to convert the IAEA's 'offline' cameras in Iran's nuclear facilities to 'online' cameras, stating that this action goes beyond the framework of the Additional Protocol of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. However, following the attendance of Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign minister, and Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, at a closed session of the Iranian parliament on Tuesday, April 7, Gholamali Jafarzadeh Imanabadi, a representative from Rasht, quoted Zarif as saying that Iran would not accept the installation of online cameras in nuclear facilities due to the experience of 'identifying and assassinating' its nuclear scientists in the past. In this context, Zarif stated that the Additional Protocol does not allow for excessive access, and criticisms in parliament regarding access to military sites continue, with representatives not being convinced; the proposal to question Zarif will go to the public session. The U.S. State Department stated that it does not intend to respond to every comment made by the Iranian leader.