Iran atomic agency rejects AP report on IAEA inspections as speculation

Iran’s atomic energy agency has dismissed a media report that Iranian experts, instead of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) staff, will inspect the country’s nuclear sites.

On Thursday, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) rejected as speculation a recent report released by American news agency, The Associated Press, about the inspection of Iran’s nuclear sites, adding that the IAEA has so far remained committed to keeping Iran’s documents confidential.

The agency has not made any move in violation of its commitments, Behrouz Kamalvandi stated.

He also stressed that Iran’s considerations have been fully addressed within the framework of Tehran-IAEA cooperation.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kamalvandi noted that Iran will continue its cooperation with the IAEA in a bid to resolve the disputed issues, adding that as the IAEA has announced in a statement, Tehran has “submitted information related to the agency’s questions by an August 15 deadline.”

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano ©AFP
Earlier in the day, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said in a statement that under the agreed road-map, the two sides intend to make a series of “separate arrangements” that are “confidential” and cannot be made public based on legal obligations.

Amano described the road-map signed by Iran and the UN agency in July as “robust” enough to verify outstanding issues on Tehran’s nuclear program.

“The Road-map between Iran and the IAEA is a very robust agreement, with strict timelines, which will help us to clarify past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear programme,” Amano added.

The comments came a day after The Associated Press claimed that it has seen a document showing that the IAEA has allowed Iran to use its “own inspectors” to investigate the Parchin military site which some claim is related to the country’s nuclear program.

On July 14, Iran and the IAEA signed a road-map for “the clarification of past and present issues” regarding Tehran’s nuclear program in the Austrian capital city of Vienna. The deal came on the same day Iran and the P5+1 – the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany – reached an agreement that would give Iran relief from international sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear program.

The IAEA confirmed in mid-August that Iran has complied with the time frame set in the road-map and has given the nuclear body the information regarding its past nuclear activities.