Iran’s Parliament speaker says Tehran to stand against IAEA’s excessive demands

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf made the remarks while addressing an open session of Parliament on Sunday, during which Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif briefed the lawmakers on the latest developments regarding Iran’s nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and IAEA’s request for access to certain Iranian sites.

Last month, the IAEA’s Board of Governors adopted a resolution, drafted by Britain, France and Germany, calling on Iran to grant the IAEA access to two locations amid allegations of undeclared nuclear activities. Russia and China voted against the resolution, with Moscow describing it as counterproductive.

Tehran has rejected allegations of non-cooperation with the IAEA, arguing that the mentioned sites are totally irrelevant to its current nuclear program, and that the agency’s insistence on inspecting the two locations comes on the basis of fabricated information provided by Israel.

“The International Atomic Energy Agency and the Board of Governors must know that when it comes to foreign policy, the Islamic Republic and parliamentarians will never allow the agency to have an open hand and do whatever it wants without any limitation,” the Parliament speaker said.

Qalibaf added that the IAEA cannot expect Iran to allow it, through unlimited inspections of Iranian sites, “to seek to complete intelligence [gathering] and espionage efforts of hostile countries.”

“We will seriously stand against this IAEA's excessive demands and call on the [Iranian] Foreign Ministry to implement policies to reduce commitments under the JCPOA and simultaneously continue cooperation with the IAEA within the framework of commitments, which is the right of the nation,” Qalibaf said.