No Way for IAEA to Get Access to Iran’s Classified Data: Zarif
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – There is a clear framework for cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, stressing that the UN nuclear agency’s inspectors would by no means have access to the country’s classified information.
Based on the Additional Protocol, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the framework of cooperation between Iran and the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog can only inspect Iranian sites built for nuclear activities, Zarif told reporters upon his arrival in Russia’s Sochi on Wednesday.
He made the comments when asked about IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano’s recent comments that his agency does not distinguish between civilian or military sites in its inspections and would ask Iran for access when necessary.
None of the IAEA inspections could be used as an excuse for access to Iran’s classified information, the top diplomat underscored.
He also noted that the UN nuclear agency has already verified there has been no undeclared nuclear activities in Iran.
As regards the purposes of his trip to Russia, Zarif pointed to coordination between Tehran and Moscow on regional developments, particularly Syria.
The cooperation among Iran, Russia and Turkey resulted in the improvement of the situation in Syria and prevented tensions to a great extent, Zarif went on to say.
He also stressed the need for closer coordination between Iran and Russia given the recent US stances toward the JCPOA, the nuclear agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).
