AJC Dismayed at Report Iran Will Inspect Its Own Nuclear Site

AJC expressed shock at the Associated Press (AP) report of an agreement between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, and Iran. According to the wire service, the accord would allow Iranian “experts” to conduct inspections of the suspected nuclear site in Parchin, rather than having IAEA personnel do so, which is the usual procedure for such inspections.

This IAEA-Iran agreement, which the AP says it has seen, is separate from, but linked to, the P5+1 deal with Iran, announced in Vienna on July 14. U.S. officials, including National Security Advisor Susan Rice, have acknowledged that they were informed of the document’s contents, but, according to the AP report, the White House has called it a routine technical arrangement.

According to the BBC, “The secret Parchin military complex…is the location of a facility where Iran is suspected of having conducted high-explosive tests related to the manufacture of nuclear weapons.”

Moreover, Mark Fitzpatrick, Director of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Program at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, said last year: "It's important for the IAEA to get into Parchin in order to try to resolve the allegations of nuclear weapons-related experiments that were said to have taken place there.”

AJC Executive Director David Harris said: “If the AP report is accurate, allowing Iran, rather than the IAEA, to inspect its own nuclear site is like putting Dracula in charge of a blood bank.” Harris urged members of Congress, who will vote on the Iranian nuclear deal next month, to “take into consideration this startling development and its profound implications. This side agreement with the IAEA raises new questions about whether or not the agreement with Iran can be effectively monitored.”