Iran Rejects US Demands to Accept IAEA Access in Karaj

 

Says nations that didn't complain about Karaj being attacked have no say

by Jason Ditz 

Posted onSeptember 28, 2021CategoriesNewsTagsBiden, IAEA, Iran

Disagreements over the IAEA access agreement with Iran and whether Karaj’s centrifuge factory is covered under it continue, with Iran dismissing US demands to give the IAEA inspectors immediate and complete access.

The issue centers on a joint Iran and IAEA statement on the matter, which promised IAEA access to certain unnamed sites for maintenance of equipment. The IAEA assumed this included Karaj, which was damaged in Israeli sabotage. Iran has rejected that.

A joint statement isn’t exactly a binding agreement, but the US still felt the need to demand immediate acquiescence by Iran. Iranian officials say that the US didn’t criticize the Israeli attacks on Karaj in the first place, and thus has no say on who gets access.

The US threatened to issue a condemnation of Iran at the upcoming IAEA meeting. The US has been threatening that for awhile over several pretexts, however, and Iran might’ve already planned for that to happen one way or another.

The IAEA needs access to monitoring equipment that was damaged by Israel, but access in Karaj is something Iran is clearly holding out as part of broader negotiations.

https://news.antiwar.com/2021/09/28/iran-rejects-us-demands-to-accept-iaea-access-in-karaj/