Iranian statement on IAEA inspections

IAEA inspectors ensure real Iran reports

A senior Iranian lawmaker says the presence of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors in Iran can guarantee the presentation of realistic reports by the Agency.

Press TV,

25 December, 2011

Alaeddin Boroujerdi noted on Sunday that when IAEA inspectors are in Iran they are accompanied by Iranian specialists. 

“This means that before the report of inspectors transferred to the Agency and manipulated, both Iran and IAEA inspectors will announce their positions in interviews and this will prevent the presentation of untrue reports [by the Agency],” he added. 

The lawmaker, who heads the Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said IAEA members have the right to want Director General Yukiya Amano to fulfill his duties in line with agency regulations. 

Boroujerdi said Iran has always respected IAEA regulations and its willingness to allow agency inspectors into the country to inspect Iranian nuclear facilities shows Tehran's compliance with IAEA regulations. 

“Iran's welcoming the presence of Agency inspectors not only indicates its compliance with IAEA regulations but also [reflects] its confidence in the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities,” he said. 

On Monday, December 19, Western diplomats said that Iran reinstated an invitation offer for IAEA inspectors to visit the country after a previous invitation, issued in October, was rejected. 

A senior diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that a top-level IAEA mission could fly to Iran in late January if Tehran agrees to meet agency calls to supply information on its nuclear work. 

The invitation comes after the IAEA chief rejected a previous offer earlier this year to visit Iran, claiming that Tehran has refused to address the agency's specific concerns. 

Following the invitation, Iran's Ambassador to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh said on Tuesday, December 20, that Tehran is ready to address any concerns about its nuclear program. 

Iranian officials have expressed numerous concerns about repeated efforts by the IAEA inspectors to leak data about Iran's nuclear program and scientists to foreign governments, leading to terrorist attacks against a number of Iranian nuclear scholars. The IAEA has so far ignored Iran's concerns. 

The United States and the Israeli regime have repeatedly threatened Tehran with the "option" of a military strike over its nuclear program. 

Tehran argues that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.