Najafi: We Will Not Give a Blank Check to the IAEA for Inspections of Military Sites

In another reaction to the issue of inspections of Iran's military sites, Iran's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) emphasized that while Iran has no concerns about sampling from areas "adjacent" to its military sites, it will not give the IAEA a "blank check" for inspections of these sites. According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) news website and a video released on this matter, Reza Najafi stated on Wednesday evening, May 13, that no components related to Iran's nuclear program are currently being manufactured at Iran's military centers. He referred to the Lausanne nuclear agreement and stressed that the IAEA's mission in verifying Iran's actions is solely to assess Iran's compliance with its commitments under the 5+1 agreement, and the agency is not obligated to declare that "there are no undeclared sites (nuclear) and activities" in Iran. In a television program, Najafi responded to a question about inspections of Iran's military centers under the Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by stating that the implementation of this protocol is not a new issue, as Iran had previously implemented the Additional Protocol voluntarily for two and a half years. He added, "Previously, only Iran's defense industries could manufacture centrifuges and sensitive components, and we showed some workshops to them based on the implementation of the protocol; if this means that we previously implemented it and there was no problem, it in no way means opening military sites to inspectors." The permanent representative of Iran to the IAEA reiterated that "Western accusations may be raised again, but this does not mean giving a blank check to the agency for inspections of military facilities." He also emphasized that the manufacturing of components related to Iran's nuclear program is now carried out at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, not in Iran's military industries. The IAEA suspects that Iran has tested explosive triggers usable in the construction of nuclear bombs at the Parchin military site in recent years. This international body, which monitors Iran's nuclear program, states that despite previous inspections and sampling at this facility, it has obtained new information and needs to sample Parchin again, but Tehran has prevented the agency's inspectors from visiting Parchin again in recent years. The agency claims that Iran has eliminated traces of its suspicious tests in this area by cleaning up Parchin in recent years. The Islamic Republic has denied this accusation. According to the Additional Protocol to the NPT, which Iran agreed to implement voluntarily in the Lausanne nuclear agreement, IAEA inspectors will be allowed to conduct unannounced inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities whenever they deem necessary. However, Iran's permanent representative to the IAEA emphasized that access to military facilities is not mentioned in the Additional Protocol, while adding that if the agency inspectors need to visit "other locations," they can request it. Najafi added, "It is also the right of countries that if they do not want to grant access to these locations, alternative measures must be taken, and as it appears, the only way is to sample from areas adjacent to military facilities." He emphasized that Iran has no concerns about sampling from areas "adjacent" to its military sites and that this sampling will only prove the falsity of the claims made against Iran's nuclear program. Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, also stated on Monday, April 26, that "inspectors can sample from areas around non-nuclear centers based on the Additional Protocol." Meanwhile, Abbas Araghchi, a senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team, on Tuesday evening, May 4, did not rule out the possibility of inspections of Iran's military centers, stating that "potential" inspections under the Additional Protocol to the NPT would be "managed." Araghchi on Sunday, May 9, referred to the "managed access" to Iran's military centers as "environmental sampling." The statements of these Iranian officials come at a time when Iranian military officials had previously referred to inspections of military centers as a red line and emphasized that they would not allow inspections of these centers. For instance, Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned sharply on Saturday, April 17, that the Islamic Republic would respond to visits to Iran's military centers "with hot lead." Najafi, in another part of his remarks, referred to the Lausanne nuclear agreement, emphasizing that "the Lausanne agreement does not state that the agency should declare that there are no declared activities in Iran and then sanctions will be lifted." According to Najafi, the agency declaring that there are no undeclared sites (nuclear) and activities in Iran relates to the implementation of the Additional Protocol, and this is a time-consuming issue. He emphasized that "responding to the agency's past questions" is a separate matter from implementing the Lausanne agreement, which should be discussed in the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the 5+1 group. Najafi stressed that "the issue of Iran should be raised as a normal issue in the Board of Governors; otherwise, there will be no possibility and implementation of the agreement." Najafi's statements come as, according to a fact sheet from the U.S. State Department regarding the Lausanne agreement, Iran has agreed to implement the IAEA's Additional Protocol and provide much greater access and information about its nuclear program to the agency, including information about both declared and undeclared facilities. Iran's negotiating team resumed talks with the 5+1 negotiators in Vienna on Tuesday to draft a comprehensive agreement. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a meeting was held between Abbas Araghchi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran's deputy foreign ministers, with Helga Schmid, the deputy responsible for foreign policy of the European Union. According to Araghchi, on Friday, the deputy foreign ministers of the 5+1 countries will join these negotiations.