BICOM

Opponents of the recent nuclear deal with Iran have reacted with incredulity to a report that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will permit Iran to self-inspect the Parchin facility.

A long-term agreement between Iran and the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) was concluded last month, which will likely see international sanctions lifted in return for a slowdown in Iranian nuclear development over the next decade. The deal must receive the approval of US Congress by 17 September and intensive lobbying efforts are underway to impact lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Critics of the deal have expressed deep concern that the accord does not include sufficient mechanisms to ensure Iranian compliance, especially a complex 24-day process from request to inspection of a site. Proponents of the agreement have repeatedly said that the deal is based on verification rather than trust and have backed the role of the IAEA in monitoring Iranian compliance.

However, an AP report based on a document it has seen, says that the IAEA has agreed that international inspectors will not be permitted access to the Parchin site and instead will rely on photographic and video evidence supplied by Iranian officials. Iran has denied numerous requests to inspect Parchin for almost a decade where it is suspected Iran has previously carried out tests related to nuclear weapon detonation. Earlier this month, US intelligence reports suggested that Iran is attempting to ‘sanitise’ the Parchin nuclear facility ahead of any potential inspection.

In response to the report, Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz asked sarcastically, whether “Iranian inspectors will also have to wait 24 days before being able to visit the site and look for incriminating evidence?” Meanwhile, US Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy commented, “This side agreement shows that true verification is a sham, and it begs the question of what else the administration is keeping from Congress.”