Spiteful states not invited to Iran

Following Iran’s decision to invite certain countries to tour its nuclear facilities, an Iranian lawmaker says “spiteful states” will not be invited to the Islamic Republic.

Iran announced on Tuesday it would invite envoys representing geographical and political groups in the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit Natanz enrichment facility and Arak heavy water reactor.

“Spiteful states, including the US and certain European countries, will never be invited to Iran to inspect the country’s nuclear facilities,” Avaz Heidarpour, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) told IRNA on Thursday.

He added that the move would prove to the world that Iran’s nuclear activities are peaceful and that the country “has never sought nuclear weapons and will never seek them in the future.”

He noted that the decision would also disgrace certain countries, including the US, France and Britain, seek to “slow down the pace of talks.”

“This invitation will prove that their claims are false,” the Iranian lawmaker pointed out.

He emphasized that the inspection of nuclear sites would be effective in the progress of future talks scheduled to be held in the Turkish capital city of Ankara.

“Although the US and certain European countries had enough time to show their goodwill on Iran’s nuclear case, they always tried to distort the realities about the peaceful nature of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program,” Heidarpour added.

He criticized “quite politically-motivated” reports publicized by the US and its allies about Iran’s nuclear program and stated that only those countries would be invited to Iran that have reflected “correct” reports on the nuclear case.

“If these countries show their sincerity in their reports and avoid issuing false and political reports, we will definitely invite them as well,” he said.

The remarks came after Iran’s envoy to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh said on Tuesday that some ambassadors to the Vienna-based agency would tour Iranian nuclear sites soon.

“The plan [invitation] is in line with the Islamic Republic’s transparent nuclear policy,” Soltanieh added.

Earlier on the same day, the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast also confirmed reports of the invitations.

“The invitation of some members of P5+1 (Russia, China, France, Britain and the US plus Germany), the European Union, the Group of 77 and the Non-Aligned Movement is a new initiative by the Islamic Republic with the aim of making Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities transparent,” Mehmanparast said.

The European Union and China have confirmed having received an invitation from Iran to tour the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities.