Iran rules out IAEA access to classified information

The inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would by no means have access to Iran's classified information, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday.

Based on the Additional Protocol, the Iran nuclear deal, known as 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 was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

He made the comments as a respond to the recent remarks of the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano who said 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 an access to Iran's classified information, Zarif stressed.

He also noted that the UN nuclear agency has already verified there has been no undeclared nuclear activities in Iran.

Iran and six world powers, namely Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US, reached an agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue in July 2015, which put Tehran on the path of sanctions relief, with more strict limits and monitoring on its nuclear program.

--IANS

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