Velayati: We Do Not Allow Strangers to Visit Sensitive Military Centers

Ali Akbar Velayati, the international affairs advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stated that Tehran "will not allow any stranger, whether American or non-American, to visit the country's sensitive military centers." According to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Mr. Velayati said on Tuesday, June 8, in Tehran that "the visit of Americans to the military centers of the Islamic Republic of Iran is strictly prohibited based on the very precise view of the Supreme Leader." The advisor emphasized that the statements of U.S. officials regarding inspections of Iran's military centers are meant for "justifying within America," but "in Iran, permission is not granted to visit military centers." These remarks come amid heightened tensions between Iran, the U.S., France, the European Union, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding the resolution of potential military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program, especially in the past. Some global powers involved in nuclear talks with Iran and the IAEA are demanding inspections of several suspicious military sites of the Islamic Republic to verify whether nuclear-military tests have been conducted there. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that despite the agency's requests, Iran is resisting granting inspection permissions for certain aspects of its nuclear program to inspectors from this UN-affiliated body. Iran and six global powers are currently working towards a comprehensive nuclear agreement by July 1. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has previously emphasized that he will not permit inspections of Iran's military facilities nor allow questioning of those involved in the nuclear program. Earlier, Abbas Araqchi, Deputy Foreign Minister and a senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team, stated that if the Islamic Republic accepts the Additional Protocol of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, part of the final agreement with the P5+1 would involve accepting "managed access to military centers." A day after these remarks, Masoud Jazayeri, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, stated that even "limited and controlled" visits to Iran's military centers would not be permitted.