Israel Matzav

Iran denies IAEA access to Parchin

What a great deal US Secretary of State John FN Kerry and EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton cut with Iran. Totally brilliant. Iran is not obligated to give inspectors from the IAEA access to the Parchin military base where Iran was developing nuclear weapons. And of course, they're not going to give them access either.

Iran announced on Sunday it has not granted the U.N. atomic watchdog access to the Parchin military site, where the agency suspects experiments relating to nuclear weapons development may have occurred.

Iran cited that the visit would not fall under seven steps the Islamic Repubilc and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had agreed on.

“Visiting Parchin is not included in the seven steps,” Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for Iran’s atomic energy organization, told the ISNA news agency, referring to elements of an agreement reached Sunday.

The Islamic Republic agreed on seven “practical steps” with the IAEA in talks seeking further safeguards to enhance transparency on Tehran’s nuclear drive, an Iranian nuclear official said.

The steps are meant to be implemented by May 15, Iran’s envoy to the Vienna-based body, Reza Najafi, told the ISNA news agency.

Sunday’s statement comes nine days before Tehran and world powers, building on a landmark interim deal that took effect last month, start talks on a long-term accord on Iran’s nuclear aspirations.

What could go wrong? 

Labels: Catherine Ashton, IAEA, Iranian nuclear threat, John Kerry, P 5+1

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:31 PM