Iran

No nuclear activity at Parchin military site

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Iran has dismissed allegations about clandestine nuclear activities at Parchin military site, which is situated near the capital, Tehran.

“Parchin is a military site and continues its own specific activities without having anything to do with [Iran’s] nuclear work,” Iran Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Tuesday.

He noted that the inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have so far visited Parchin twice.

Mehmanparast said Iran and the IAEA can reach an agreement on the full recognition of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear rights in return for addressing concerns and removing possible ambiguities about Iran’s nuclear energy program.

Iran and the IAEA will hold a new round of talks in Tehran on Wednesday. They last met in December 2012.

On Tuesday, IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts said the Agency’s inspectors hope to win Iran’s green light to visit Parchin.

“We hope that we will be allowed to go to Parchin and if access is granted we will welcome the chance to do so,” Reuters quoted Nackaerts as saying.

Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman criticized IAEA’s foot-dragging on closing Iran’s nuclear dossier.

“If every day fresh allegations are raised over one location in Iran and based on these allegations they (IAEA) demand to visit all our military sites without showing any commitment to our peaceful nuclear activities, this process will never end,” he added.

The United States, Israel and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Iran argues that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the IAEA, it is entitled to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

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