Managed Inspections of Iran's Military Sites 'Accepted'

Despite strong opposition from commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against inspections of military sites, a member of parliament quoted Abbas Araqchi, a member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team, stating that Iran has 'accepted' 'managed inspections' of these sites. Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister, and Abbas Araqchi provided explanations to parliament members about negotiations with the 1+5 group in a closed session on Sunday, May 24. According to Javad Karimi Qodusi, a representative from Mashhad, Araqchi stated that inspections of military sites are 'accepted' under the Additional Protocol of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), but these inspections are 'managed' and will be conducted seriously. Under the Additional Protocol, which Iran has voluntarily accepted in the Lausanne nuclear agreement, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be allowed to conduct surprise inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities whenever deemed necessary. However, according to the state news agency IRNA, Behrouz Nemati, spokesperson for the parliament's presiding board, said, 'Araqchi explained that inspections will be within the framework of the Additional Protocol and it will not be the case that Americans can visit any site whenever they want.' Members of Iran's nuclear negotiation team had previously indicated the possibility of 'managed access' to Iran's military sites, clarifying that 'access' does not mean inspections but rather 'environmental sampling.' Nonetheless, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, stated on Friday, May 22, that inspections 'under any title' and even from a distance from Iran's military sites are considered 'espionage.' On the same day, Ahmad Jannati and Ahmad Alamolhoda, Friday prayer leaders of Tehran and Mashhad, respectively, described the implementation of the Additional Protocol and acceptance of potential inspections of Iran's military sites as 'naivety' and acceptance of 'espionage.' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, emphasized on May 19 that Iran will not allow 'inspections of military sites' or 'interrogation of its nuclear scientists.' In a related report, it was mentioned that during one of the negotiation sessions regarding Iran's nuclear program, 'the opposing side' presented a list of 'some' Iranian nuclear scientists and requested 'negotiation and interviews' with them, but the Iranian negotiation team did not accept access to these scientists. The session also saw a verbal altercation between Hamid Rasai and Mehdi Koochakzadeh, Tehran representatives, and Mohammad Javad Zarif at the end of the closed session. However, Behrouz Nemati stated that 'no altercation' occurred and they were merely 'debating.' Furthermore, Nemati clarified that the number of centrifuges at Fordow remains 1,044, and claims about reducing them to 350 are 'not accurate.' This follows a statement from Mohammad Reza Bahonar, the deputy speaker of parliament, who said that the United States has requested Iran to reduce the number of centrifuges at Fordow to between 300 and 400, contrary to the Lausanne nuclear agreement.