MP: IAEA allowed to visit Iran’s nuclear sites solely within agreed frameworks

By Sadeq Dehqan & Farzam Vanaki

The inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are allowed to visit Iran’s nuclear facilities solely within the established frameworks agreed on by all sides, said an MP.

Commenting on the IAEA’s request to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities in an exclusive interview with Iran Daily, Reza Hajipour added Tehran has always fully cooperated with the agency and its Board of Governors since the beginning of its peaceful nuclear activities and has provided them with the information they required.

“They have been informed about our achievements and progress throughout all these years,” he said.

A few days ago, following a session, the IAEA’s Board of Governors demanded to inspect Iran’s nuclear sites more closely, Press TV wrote. The UN nuclear watchdog asked for access to two nuclear facilities in Iran, whereas the Islamic Republic Iran says the atomic agency’s report lacks credible legal reasoning and is politically motivated.

The IAEA’s demand for investigation came two years after Israeli regime claimed Tehran had been working on a nuclear weapon, something that Tehran has strongly rejected. Iran has time and again said its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.

Hajipour noted that this comes as Iran has always been under different sanctions for its peaceful nuclear program, stressing, however, that such restrictions have failed to have any impact on the progress of the country’s nuclear program.

“Principally, in view of the ethical commitments and principles we take on and uphold on the basis of Islam and statements by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, we have no plan for building nuclear weapons. Thus, whenever needed, the doors of the country’s nuclear facilities are open to international inspectors, of course, based on the mutual agreements.”

At the same time, based on Ayatollah Khamenei’s statements and the general policies of the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the lawmaker added, the country will continue its peaceful nuclear activities and program.

Censuring the intensification of Washington’s unilateral sanctions on Tehran, the MP said over the past 41 years after the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, the country has always been under different economic sieges and numerous similar pressures.

A glance at the sanctions imposed by the US and its allies on the Islamic Republic shows that they have never been considered as Iran’s friends, he noted, giving the assurance that they cannot be trusted whether the nuclear sanctions on Iran remain in place or be lifted.

During the negotiations that led to the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in July 2015 between Iran and the P5+1, Tehran fully cooperated with other parties to the deal, Hajipour said, regretting, “They, however, changed their course of action toward us later and reneged on the agreement they had signed.”

France, Britain and Germany, all parties to the JCPOA, introduced an anti-Iran resolution, which was passed by the IAEA’s Board of Governors on Friday despite being strongly rebuffed by China and Russia, two other signatories to the nuclear accord, with 25 votes in favor. The IAEA resolution called on the Islamic Republic to “fully cooperate” with the IAEA and “satisfy the agency’s requests without any further delay”, including by providing “prompt” access to two nuclear sites, according to Press TV.

This comes as despite US May 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA and consequent reimposition of sanctions on Iran, Tehran has always fulfilled its commitments under the deal.

Hajipour said the US and its allies are scared of Iran’s capabilities in different fields as the country is rapidly progressing in all sectors.

He added that the country has made great achievements in health and treatment, economic, agricultural and military sectors as well as production of pharmaceuticals.

The lawmaker also gave the assurance that the US has failed to achieve any of its desired targets through imposition of sanctions on Iran, saying, “They though that by ramping up the sanctions on Tehran, the Islamic Republic will be crippled and they will be able to shape anti-Iran policies the way they wanted.”

However, their plots were entirely foiled in light of the measures adopted by Ayatollah Khamenei and Iranian officials as well as on the back of the capabilities of domestic experts and scientists, he stressed, adding, “At present, we have come to a point where they are desperate about the effectiveness of their sanctions strategies and extremely scared.”

On continuation of nuclear talks between Iran and Western countries, the parliamentarian said that they are required to respect Iran’s nuclear rights and the previously signed agreements to receive a reciprocal response from Tehran.

“Otherwise, such negotiations will fail to produce favorable result. They cannot solely put forward their unilateral demands and evade their responsibilities.”