Iran 'Unconvinced' it should Open Parchin Site
Iran's atomic chief Fereydoon Abbasi Davani said on Saturday Tehran is "not yet convinced" it should open to scrutiny the Parchin military site which is among the concerns of the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
"Visiting Parchin is interesting to the agency because some nations are pressuring it to investigate, but we are not yet convinced in this regard and no proof or documents have been given to us about Parchin which is a military complex," the ISNA news agency quoted Abbasi Davani as saying.
"We do not have a nuclear site in Parchin. They want to see Parchin and if there were to be such a visit we have to be convinced that this place is among the places which should be visited," he added.
The International Atomic Energy Agency's latest report, published on Friday, said satellite imagery showed "extensive activity" at Parchin, which it said could hamper the investigation of claims of suspected nuclear weapons research there.
The IAEA revealed that its head, Yukiya Amano, had wanted to "conclude" a deal on clarifying accusations that Iran was carrying out such research, during a visit to Tehran on May 21.
But Amano left empty-handed, saying only that he and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili made a "decision to reach an agreement on the structured approach," adding that he expected that Parchin "will be addressed as a part of the implementation of the structured approach document."
Abbasi Davani outlined Iran's vision of the "structured agreement," but did not say when it might be signed.
"Structured agreement should cover all topics, and once we know the beginning and end of each topic and it has been addressed, then it should not be brought up again," he said.
Tehran this year rebuffed repeated requests from IAEA chief inspector Herman Nackaerts to send a team to verify Western intelligence suggesting Parchin could have hosted explosives testing for nuclear warheads in a special metal chamber.
Western governments have accused Iran of removing evidence at the site, while Amano has said satellite imagery showed unspecified activity.
Iran says Parchin is not a designated nuclear site and it is therefore not obliged to permit IAEA inspections, although it last did so in 2005.
Tehran says if it did allow inspections of the site, they would have to be part of an agreed "road map" that would address IAEA concerns in a set order.
Source: Agence France Presse
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