Iran agrees to give UN inspectors expanded access to nuclear sites
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Iran and the UN’s nuclear chief reached a deal yesterday to allow expanded monitoring of the country’s nuclear sites, including at a planned reactor. The agreement could boost wider negotiations over Tehran’s atomic program.
Although the deal is a step forward in Iran’s cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog agency, the initial “road map” for deeper inspections does not mention some of the sites most sought by UN teams, notably a military facility outside Tehran, to probe suspicions of nuclear-related work.
Iran was quick to promote the accord, announced at a joint news conference, as a sign of progress toward reaching a broader accord with the US and other world powers when talks resume next week.
The deal was struck during talks in Tehran with UN nuclear watchdog Yukiya Amano, whose initiative parallels more far-reaching efforts by the six world powers to reach an accord that would ease Western concerns that Iran could one day develop nuclear weapons — an assertion Iran denies.
The pact reached certainly contributes to the chances of a larger deal. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, have been working in Iran for years, but have complained of some limitations in reaching some sites and personnel.
The framework would give IAEA teams access to a key uranium mine and the site of a planned heavy water reactor, which uses a different type of coolant than regular water and produces a greater amount of plutonium by-product than conventional reactors. Inspectors have already visited the reactor site, but seek more extensive probing.
The IAEA also received clearance for a visit to the Gachin uranium mine near the Persian Gulf port of Bandar Abbas, which also has been sought.
The deal also calls for Iran to provide more details on its nuclear program including all planned research reactors.
Iran’s nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, said the pact is intended as “a road map that clarifies the mutual steps required for resolving the outstanding issues” — points repeatedly raised by President Hassan Rouhani since taking office in August.
A joint statement by Salehi and Amano said both sides seek to “cooperate further ... to resolve all present and past issues.” The IAEA, in a nod to Iran’s concerns, also agreed to protect confidential information regarding its nuclear program.
The deal also could open room for even wider inspections, but no details were given.
“The practical measures will be implemented in the next three months, starting from today,” Amano said in Tehran.
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