Strong Reaction from Senior Officials of the Islamic Republic to Comments from the U.S. Secretary of Defense

In response to the recent comments made by the U.S. Secretary of Defense, a senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team stated that Tehran will not accept visits from 'foreign observers' to its military sites, nor will it allow 'monitoring' of its ballistic missiles. Meanwhile, the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and his deputy also emphasized that Iran will not permit visits to its military facilities. Ashton Carter, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, stated in an interview with CNN that any nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic must include oversight of Iran's military facilities. This is a point that senior officials of the Islamic Republic have repeatedly opposed. In this context, according to Tasnim News Agency, Abbas Araqchi, a senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team, said on Saturday, April 22, regarding the possibility of 'foreign observers' visiting Iran's military sites based on the Lausanne statement, that 'we will certainly not accept any oversight or access in this regard.' He added: 'Our missiles, whether ballistic or otherwise, will not be under the supervision and oversight of our counterparts.' Meanwhile, according to Fars News Agency, Hassan Firouzabadi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, commented on the mention of the issue of visits to Iran's military sites in the nuclear negotiations with the P5+1, saying: 'Unfortunately, one of the country's newspapers published this matter citing a foreign corrupt newspaper, but do the armed forces allow anyone to enter them for this to happen?' The British newspaper The Guardian recently noted a section of the Lausanne political agreement that allows inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to access suspected sites and individuals, stating that these inspectors will need access to military sites and individuals associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran. This section was referred to as one of the most complex parts of this understanding. Meanwhile, Masoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, emphasized on Friday that 'Iran's red line' in the nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 is visits to military sites, and 'this permission will not be granted under any circumstances.' According to Fars News Agency, he also regarded the U.S. Secretary of Defense's repeated remarks about 'visits to Iran's military sites' as indicative of his 'low intelligence and the malice' of the Americans. Reports indicate that Ashton Carter emphasized in his interview with CNN that any potential nuclear agreement with Iran must include provisions for inspections (of Iran's nuclear facilities). He also responded to the question of whether Washington seeks access to Iran's military facilities, saying: 'It depends on what you mean by military facilities, but certainly yes.' In response to these remarks, Reza Talai-Nik, Iran's Deputy Minister of Defense, stated that 'Iran's red line is the entry into military and missile facilities.' Previously, Iranian government officials have repeatedly emphasized that Iran's missile program is not negotiable. Conversely, American officials have expressed concerns about Iran's missile program, deeming it 'a dangerous threat to the region.' Meanwhile, Jen Psaki, the U.S. State Department spokesperson, stated in February 2015 that one of the topics discussed during the nuclear negotiations with Iran was the issue of Iran's ballistic missiles and the capability of these missiles to carry nuclear warheads. This statement was denied by Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, who emphasized that the Islamic Republic will not allow discussions about its missile capabilities in the nuclear negotiations with the P5+1.