29-03-2024 12:44 AM Jerusalem Timing

Harf: No Final Agreement with Iran If Access to Nuclear Sites Denied

Harf: No Final Agreement with Iran If Access to Nuclear Sites Denied

Acting spokeswoman for the United States Department of State Marie Harf said on Wednesday there would be no final nuclear agreement if Iran denied access to its nuclear scientists and military sites.

Marie HarfActing spokeswoman for the United States Department of State Marie Harf said on Wednesday there would be no final nuclear agreement if Iran denied access to its nuclear scientists and military sites.

Harf made the remarks while commenting on latest position taken by Tehran about permitting foreign inspectors to have access to its nuclear scientists and military facilities.

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei has made it clear on May 20 that he 'will not permit foreigners to come and interview with scientists of the nation who have gotten the domestic nuclear knowledge to this level.

Speaking at her press briefing, Harf said, "We and Iran have agreed that we will undertake a process to address possible military dimensions, and part of that includes access. And under the Additional Protocol, for example, which Iran will implement and has said they will implement as part of this deal, the IAEA does get access."

"And so obviously, that’s an ongoing topic of negotiation; but 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, and we’ve said that."

Harf added that the issue of "access" will be "an ongoing topic of negotiation. And we’ve agreed on a process to get to a list here, but 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."

However, Ayatollah Khamenei has made it clear on his address to the graduation ceremony of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) that no permission would be given for inspecting any military sites or for interviewing any nuclear scientists of the country.