As part of a final nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 world powers (U.S., UK, Germany, France, Russia, China), Tehran has demanded at least twenty-four days notice before inspectors are allowed to review their nuclear enrichment sites, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has reportedly disclosed.
ABC News reports that Fabius said Iran has demanded the 24-days prior notification from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear inspectors before they can visit any of the sites.
For years, the IAEA has claimed that Iran continues to forgo transparency in its drive towards nuclear weapons development, refusing access to inspectors who wish to review Iran’s pledge not to proliferate nukes.
“What happens if Iran doesn’t comply[?] How much time will we have to check? In the current text, it’s 24 days, but in 24 days a lot of things can disappear,” Fabius remarked.
Experts argue that such a demand, if accepted, would destroy the possibility of “snap” inspections, which allows for inspectors to evaluate potential nuke sites with little to no notice. Snap inspections provide leverage that would allow for IAEA inspectors to find out whether Iran is adhering to its commitments.
But Iran’s dictator, Ali Khamenei, said Wednesday that Iran would not allow much foreign access to its facilities, and none to its nuclear scientists.
“We will never yield to pressure. … We will not accept unreasonable demands. … Iran will not give access to its (nuclear) scientists,” said Khamenei. “We will not allow the privacy of our nuclear scientists or any other important issue to be violated.”
“I will not let foreigners talk to our scientists and to interrogate our dear children … who brought us this extensive (nuclear) knowledge,” the Ayatollah added.
Iran and the world powers have until a self-imposed June 30 deadline to agree to a comprehensive nuclear deal.
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