Iran has denied reports suggesting that it will grant the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) broader access to its nuclear facilities, with senior officials insisting that inspections will remain limited to previously approved locations, it was reported on Thursday.
In an interview, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Iran would not permit international inspections of any nuclear facility that had suffered damage.
Qalibaf stated that the IAEA currently has access to only two locations in Iran and that this arrangement would remain unchanged. He said the agency’s inspectors would be allowed to visit only the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and the Tehran Research Reactor.
“The agency has been granted access only to these sites, and Iran remains committed to this arrangement,” Qalibaf said, according to the interview.
The remarks appear to reaffirm Tehran’s position on limiting international oversight of its nuclear programme at a time of continued international attention on Iran’s nuclear activities and compliance with inspection agreements.
The IAEA has not yet publicly responded to Qalibaf’s latest comments. However, the issue of access for international inspectors remains a key point in ongoing discussions surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme and its relations with the international community.
