The Nuclear Standoff Will Not End with Parchin Visit

In a move which appears to enliven the long-stalled negotiations between Tehran and Five plus One (five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) Iran has agreed for a visit by the IAEA inspectors to its Parchin nuclear site which was off-limits for the UN nuclear watchdog during the last visit by its experts. Jalal Sadatian, political expert, is not optimistic about the future negotiations however. In this interview, he explains his reasons:

IRD: A new climate is taking shape between Iran and the West. What is the prospective outcome in your view?

JS: After IAEA’s visit in last week and the Board of Governors’ meeting, Jalili’s announcement that Iran is ready to negotiation was well received by the EU foreign minister Catherine Ashton. Of course, initiation of negotiations hinges upon non-existence of preconditions.

IRD: Iran has agreed to open the doors of Parchin for IAEA inspectors. Do you think this could be a concession which facilitates negotiations?

JS: Iran is stepping back from its red lines one by one. Parchin was announced off-limits since it is a military site. Tehran was concerned about intelligence gathering by IAEA inspectors for third parties. IAEA misused Iran’s worry to display it as a sign of Iran’s stealth operations to design nuclear weapons.

IRD: Iran had permitted the IAEA to survey all suspicious sites during the era of confidence-building and had maximum cooperation with the IAEA. Are there any guarantees that IAEA wants to follow that path again?

I think the ultimate goal of the recent moves is to issue a fifth resolution against Iran in the UNSC, as the Western powers believe that China and Russia are ready to expend Iran. They are trying to create a situation in which Moscow and Beijing are unable to resist further punitive measures against Iran. European and American officials have not taken the military option off the table, they just haven’t set a time for it. They still believe that Iran is trying to buy time, so I’m not that optimistic about the talks.

IRD: Even with all Iran’s flexibility? They have even allowed inspection of Parchin.