International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi with Iran President Hassan Rouhani, Tehran, August 26, 2020

After months of resistance, Iran has agreed to International Atomic Energy Agency inspections of two nuclear sites which were suspected of secret facilities for military development.

The Rouhani Government and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi announced the accord in Tehran on Wednesday.

“Iran is voluntarily providing the IAEA with access to the two locations specified by the IAEA,” said Grossi and the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, in a joint staement.

The two sides said parameters of “verification activities” and dates have been agreed, without specifying them, for inspections near Karaj west of Tehran, and near Isfahan in central Iran.

The sites are suspected of involvement in an Iranian push for military nuclear capability in the early 20th century. A US intelligence report says the activities were halted by 2007.

The Trump Administration and Israel have continued to charge Tehran with pursuit of a military program. That allegation has been countered by a series of IAEA reports that Iran was in compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic and the 5+1 Powers (US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, and China) before the Trump Administration withdrew in May 2018 and imposed comprehensive sanctions on Tehran six months later.

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Ending a Stalemate

But Iran had held out for months after any inspections of the two sites, expressing concern over a precedent for unlimited access to its military complexes.

Wednesday’s statements was explicit that it applies only to the Karaj and Isfahan facilities: “In this present context, based on analysis of available information to the IAEA, the IAEA does not have any further questions to Iran and further requests for access to locations other than those declared by Tehran.”

Salehi said that the accord “will end the case”.

President Hassan Rouhani combined a welcome of the breakthrough with an invocation the IAEA to stand against pressure from the US.

Iran’s relations with the IAEA are at a very good level, and the message of the IAEA Director General’s visit to Tehran for the world is that Iran, as in the past, is ready to work closely with the IAEA within the framework of safeguards….

The IAEA must take heed of the important point that Iran has sworn enemies who are always trying to cause problems for us; they are the ones who have nuclear weapons and do not cooperate with the IAEA.

The agreement comes only days after a double setback for the Trump Administration’s attempt at international backing of its “maximum pressure” on Iran. The UN Security Council rejected a US resolution for an extension on an arms embargo on Tehran, and then rebuffed the Administration’s attempt to invoke “snapback” sanctions under the 2015 deal.

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