A new report from the Associated Press alleges that the UN gave up inspection control of a suspicious military site in Iran, allowing Iran to inspect its own suspected nuclear site.
The site at issue is the Parchin military complex where officials believe Iran worked to develop nuclear weapons. The agreement in question between the International Atomic Energy Agency – a UN agency – and Iran was not given to the Obama administration or members of Congress.
“The United States and the five other world powers were not party to it but were briefed by the IAEA and endorsed it as part of the larger package,” reported the Associated Press.
In a press release, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) called the secret agreement “integral to Iranian compliance with the nuclear agreement.”
“This type of unorthodox agreement has never been done before by the IAEA and speaks to the great lengths our negotiators took to accommodate the Ayatollah despite repeated assurances from the administration that this deal is not based on trust,” stated Corker in a press release.
“For a deal that must be built on verification and not trust, the inspections process is deeply flawed,” Corker wrote in an earlier op-ed, adding:
Through verbal presentations regarding possible military dimensions, many in Congress are aware of the unorthodox arrangements agreed to by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the administration and our negotiating partners to keep from upsetting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Those actual agreements remain secret, but we know that at best they are most unusual and speak to the P5+1’s low commitment to holding Iran’s feet to the fire.
According to the Associated Press, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) stated, “International inspections should be done by international inspectors. Period.”
However, House Democratic leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was not concerned over the revelation. She stated, “I truly believe in this agreement.”