An Iranian spokesman rejected calls made Wednesday by Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that Iran open up military sites for inspection, Iran’s semi-official news agency PressTV reported, saying that the demand was an inaccurate interpretation of the “additional protocol” of the nuclear deal made with Western powers.
“First of all, the Islamic Republic of Iran has neither approved nor implemented the Additional Protocol yet; secondly, no article of the protocol envisions a specific obligation regarding access to the the military sites of the signatories,” spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi told IRIB on Wednesday. …
Under the Additional Protocol, access to the sites demanded by the UN nuclear agency requires evidence and the IAEA must take into account the considerations of the signatories, including “security considerations,” Amano said.
Kamalvandi, who is a also a member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team in the talks with the P5+1 group, added that if a signatory has a reason to refrain from allowing a visit of the site, the Additional Protocol has envisaged access to areas adjacent to the ones demanded by the IAEA or the use of other means of inspection.
Reuters reported Wednesday that Amano called on Iran to open up military sites for inspection.
Iran reached a deal with six world powers on April 2 to allow U.N. inspectors to carry out more intrusive, short-notice inspections under an “additional protocol” – though there have been sharply differing interpretations from both sides on the details of that access.
“In many other countries from time to time we request access to military sites when we have the reason to, so why not Iran?” Yukiya Amano, the director general of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was quoted as saying by AP.
“If we have a reason to request access, we will do so, and in principle Iran has to accept it,” he added.
In an interview in March, Amano explained that it was necessary to have snap inspections of Iran’s facilities, saying, “I think the implementation of the additional protocol is essential to have the confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran nuclear activities. Otherwise, we can give the assurance that the activities under — in the declared activities are in peaceful purpose, but we cannot say whether everything is a peaceful purpose or not.” Kamalvandi also rejected Amano’s call then.
Amano has said a number of times in recent months that the IAEA could not confirm “that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities.” Iran’s failure to account for all of its past nuclear work prompted Amano’s expressed doubts about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.
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