Iran agrees to grant IAEA access to 2 requested locations
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E-mail Xinhua, August 27, 2020
Iran has agreed to allow the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) an access to two requested locations in the country, according to a joint statement by Iran and the IAEA.
The agreement was made during a recent visit by the IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to the Iranian capital Tehran.
"Iran will voluntarily provide the IAEA with access to two locations specified by the IAEA and will facilitate the process of verification to resolve these issues," the statement was cited as reading by the official IRNA news agency on Wednesday.
"The IAEA does not have any further questions to Iran, and it does not have further requests for access to locations other than those declared by Iran," the statement said.
According to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), the inspections will be made at two locations, near Shahreza in central Isfahan Province and near capital Tehran.
Besides, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the AEOI, on Wednesday confirmed the deal and expressed the hope that "the agreement would bring the case to an end."
The agreement would hopefully open a new chapter between Iran and the IAEA, he said.
Earlier in the day, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged the IAEA to adhere to what he called "independence, impartiality" in dealing with its professional responsibilities.
Rouhani made the remarks during a meeting with Grossi in Tehran.
On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Iran was willing to cooperate with the IAEA according to international regulations.
Iran and the IAEA have always cooperated according to international commitments and in a technical and professional framework, Zarif was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Zarif stressed that the existing differences would be resolved through mutual trust and cooperation inside the framework of the Safeguards Agreement regulations.
The UN nuclear watchdog had demanded inspections for "possible" nuclear activities in the two locations and was waiting for Tehran's permission.
On Sunday, Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the AEOI, said that Iran was not initially opposed to the IAEA's demand for inspection of two locations.
However, the IAEA's questions must have been based on serious evidence and documents instead of "mere allegations," he noted.
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