Iraqchi: Inspectors Will Not Have Access to Iran's Military and Sensitive Documents

A senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team states that inspectors will not have access to Iran's military and sensitive documents during the inspections by the agency. Abbas Iraqchi said in a meeting on Sunday, July 25, with members of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, which was broadcast on state television, that "the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action does not have a confidential document, but the agreement signed between the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is a confidential understanding." In the past week, U.S. senators and representatives have criticized the lack of disclosure of the Iran-IAEA agreement during Q&A sessions with Obama administration officials regarding the agreement, demanding access to its contents. John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, in his responses to these criticisms, including in a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting on August 1, stated that we do not have access to the original agreement and are only aware of its summary. According to the "roadmap" signed on July 14, just hours before the official announcement of the comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group, the two sides reached a "separate agreement" regarding inspections of the Parchin military site. Under this agreement, Iran and the IAEA agreed to resolve all "major issues related to the past and present" that have remained unresolved by the end of 2015. Senator Tom Cotton from Arizona asked John Kerry on Wednesday why this agreement is confidential when it is not a sensitive document of the U.S. government. The U.S. Secretary of State responded, "Because we respect the agency's procedures, and we do not have their permission to disclose the content of a confidential agreement made between them and another country." Abbas Iraqchi also stated on Sunday that this understanding and the related documents between Iran and the agency are confidential, and according to international law, the agency has the duty to protect these documents. He announced that the IAEA plans to appoint 150 inspectors for inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities, and "after reviewing their backgrounds, we will approve these inspectors if necessary, and the agency will send some of them to Iran for inspections." The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister emphasized that the agreement states that inspectors must come from countries that have diplomatic relations with Iran, and for example, American and Canadian inspectors cannot be sent to Iran. Mr. Iraqchi also mentioned that according to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, in the area of sanctions, when the legal processes for the approval of the agreement in countries are completed, on the day of the agreement, countries will simultaneously fulfill their commitments. He added that since Iran needed 2 to 3 months to fulfill its commitments, it was agreed in the negotiations that on the day of the agreement, before Iran takes any action to implement the JCPOA, the European Union would lift its sanctions, and the President of the United States would issue an order to suspend sanctions so that Iran could fulfill its commitments. The senior Iranian negotiator also stated that if the U.S. does not adhere to its commitments, Iran will return to its previous state within a few years. The nuclear agreement reached in Vienna on July 14 between Iran and six world powers is currently under review in the U.S. Congress and the Iranian Parliament. This agreement has serious opponents in both countries. Many congressional Republicans have threatened to reject the agreement, but Barack Obama has warned that he will veto their resolution. In Iran, hardline groups, including the Stability Front in the Iranian Parliament, claim that this agreement means Iran is retreating from its "nuclear achievements."