News / Foreign Policy

US threatens not to sign nuclear deal with Iran due to inspection of sites

Thursday, 21 May 2015 5:36 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 21 May 2015 7:53 AM ]

US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf

Washington has threatened "not to sign" a final nuclear agreement with Tehran unless the Iranian government gives access to its possible military dimension-related sites and nuclear scientists.

"If we don’t get the assurances we need on the access to possible military dimension-related sites or activities, that’s going to be a problem for us," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in Washington on Wednesday.

"We and Iran have agreed that we will undertake a process to address possible military dimensions (of past nuclear work), and part of that includes access," Harf said. "Under the Additional Protocol ... which Iran will implement and has said they will implement as part of this deal, the IAEA does get access."

“If we cannot agree in the final instance to something that meets our bottom line for what we need in terms of access, we’re not going to sign a final deal. And that’s just something we’ve been very, very clear about,” she added.

The remarks were made after Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said that Iran would not allow inspection of its military sites.

Iran says the United States is making fresh demands in the nuclear negotiations.

“They are making new comments in the negotiations. Regarding the inspections, we have said that we will not allow foreigners to carry out inspections of any military sites,” Ayatollah Khamenei said on Wednesday.

"The enemies should know that the Iranian nation and officials will, by no means, give in to excessive demands and bullying," the Leader underlined.

The US and its negotiating partners reached a framework nuclear agreement with Iran in Switzerland on April 2.

Tehran and the P5+1 group – the US, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany – are currently working to draw up a final accord by the end of June.

Iran has repeatedly stressed that it will not allow inspections of its military facilities and insists that the nuclear deal must only include nuclear issues.

“Iran will brook no excessive demands. The agreed parameters are those confirmed by the two sides in Lausanne and these parameters need to be stipulated in a written agreement by Iran and the P5+1,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said earlier this month.

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