Iran denies IAEA inspection access beyond current sites

Key facts

• Iran's Foreign Ministry denied inviting the IAEA to inspect its nuclear facilities.
• Broader access to nuclear sites is contingent on the outcome of ongoing negotiations.
• Inspections at current sites, such as the Bushehr nuclear power plant, will continue.
• Access to other nuclear sites, where inspections were suspended, depends on negotiation results.
• An Iranian nuclear official stated that military sites are not accessible to the IAEA.

Iran has denied reports that it invited the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect its nuclear facilities, with the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stating that any wider access would be contingent on the outcome of ongoing negotiations.

Baghaei clarified that Iran has not extended any such invitation to the UN nuclear watchdog. He indicated that Iran's nuclear program would remain at its current status quo while talks for a final agreement progress, in line with a memorandum of understanding with the United States. Inspections already underway, including at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, will continue. However, access to other nuclear sites, where IAEA inspections were suspended during a period of conflict, will depend on the progress and results of the negotiations.

Further reinforcing Iran's position, Behrouz Kavalvandi, the deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI), stated that the Islamic Republic will not permit international inspectors to visit its military sites. He asserted that "no one in the Islamic Republic of Iran will give access to the military sites to the [UN] Agency," emphasizing that this is not part of the safeguard agreements, the additional protocol, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Kavalvandi rejected conditions set by U.S. President Donald Trump for amending the nuclear accord, which included a more robust inspection regime and access to military sites like Parchin, stating that such issues are closed. This stance aligns with previous rejections by Iranian officials, including Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami and presidential spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, who had previously declared military sites as "no-go areas" for foreigners, even for Iranian officials in some sensitive cases.