Iraqchi on the Additional Protocol: Nothing but Legal Procedures Will Be Accepted

In continuation of the comments from Islamic Republic officials regarding the Additional Protocol, a senior member of Iran's negotiation team states that accepting this protocol from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has "never been" one of Iran's red lines in negotiations with the 5+1 group, but Tehran will not accept anything other than "legal procedures." According to Fars News Agency, Abbas Iraqchi, Iran's chief negotiator, announced on Tuesday evening, June 4, during a television program that a "council" whose members are designated by "high-ranking officials" of the Islamic Republic and is under the "direct supervision" of President Hassan Rouhani will "communicate" the "instructions, red lines, and specific frameworks" to Iran's nuclear negotiation team. He further stated that this council has been "specified" by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic. Mr. Iraqchi emphasized that from the very beginning, the Iranian nuclear negotiation team was "allowed" to accept the Additional Protocol during negotiations, adding that the Additional Protocol includes "managed access" to "non-nuclear sites," which may also include military centers. According to the Additional Protocol in the NPT, which Iran voluntarily accepted in the Lausanne nuclear agreement, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are permitted to conduct unannounced inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities whenever they deem necessary. However, Aladdin Boroujerdi, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, emphasized last Sunday that even if the Additional Protocol is approved by the Iranian Parliament, visits to military sites and interviews with nuclear scientists will be "excluded" from the implementation of this protocol. Mr. Iraqchi, in another part of his remarks, referred to the "environmental sampling" by IAEA inspectors from non-nuclear sites, stating: "They have a cloth that they wipe on the object of interest, and if radioactive materials are present, the trace will remain on the cloth, which will then be analyzed in Vienna." He added, "You can even blindfold the inspector's eyes from outside the center and take all his equipment... At that point, his eyes are opened, he is given a GPS to verify that the geographical coordinates are correct, he conducts environmental sampling, and then his eyes are blindfolded again, and he is taken outside." A senior member of the Iranian nuclear negotiation team emphasized: "If there is something you do not want to be seen, it can be covered or taken outside." Members of the Iranian negotiation team had previously indicated the possibility of "managed access" to Iran's military centers, clarifying that by "access," they meant not inspections, but "environmental sampling." However, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stated last Friday that inspections "under any title" and even from a "distance" from Iran's military centers would be considered "espionage." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, emphasized on May 20 that Iran will not allow inspections of its military sites or interrogations of its nuclear scientists. Mr. Iraqchi stated in this regard: "If military officials... the Parliament and the council designated by the Supreme Leader come to this conclusion, this access in the Additional Protocol falls under the same prohibited inspections that the Leader stated are forbidden for us, and we will say that we will not grant this managed access." He emphasized: "If we reach the conclusion that this managed access... falls under the definition of inspections from military and prohibited sites from the perspective of the Supreme Leader, we will definitely not accept the Additional Protocol. The rejection of the protocol may result in us not having an agreement, and that is fine." The Iranian negotiation team does not have the authority to grant "access" to military sites. A senior member of the Iranian negotiation team also referred to two previous visits by IAEA inspectors to the Parchin facility during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, stating that the request for "access" to Parchin for a third time was not approved. He emphasized that the Iranian nuclear negotiation team does not have the authority to grant "access" to military sites, and decisions in this regard are made by the "Supreme Command." Mr. Iraqchi continued his remarks by saying: "In 2013, Amano came to Tehran, and a new agreement was signed with Mr. Salehi (a framework for cooperation) to close 12 issues, one of which was the issue of explosive detonators, which the Agency ultimately concluded have both military and non-military applications." The IAEA suspects that Iran has conducted tests of explosive detonators that can be used in the construction of nuclear bombs at the military site of Parchin in recent years. This international body, which monitors Iran's nuclear program, states that despite previous sampling during inspections of these facilities, it has obtained new information and needs to sample Parchin again, but Tehran has prevented the IAEA inspectors from visiting Parchin again in recent years. Mr. Iraqchi also referred to "a series of solutions" to resolve what he called the "pretext" regarding the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program (PMD), stating that these solutions were "not accepted in Tehran." A senior member of the Iranian negotiation team added: "They provided a list that if interviews are conducted with these individuals, the PMD will be closed, which was not accepted in Tehran. The Supreme Leader responded firmly." Mr. Iraqchi's reference may pertain to the issue of interviews with Iran's nuclear scientists. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei emphasized on Wednesday, May 20, that Iran will not allow inspections of its military sites or interrogations of its nuclear scientists. However, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign minister of Hassan Rouhani's government, stated that in the previous Iranian administration, IAEA agents interviewed Iranian nuclear scientists to "resolve claims and pretexts."