Iran’s Supreme Leader has said the country will not allow any inspections of its military facilities, the official state news agency reported Wednesday.
The announcement might set back international efforts to reach an agreement that would assure the world that Iran is not developing nuclear weapons. Any such agreement would rely on international inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Iran: Program is for peaceful purposes
On the other hand, Iran says that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, so the country’s nuclear facilities might not be covered by the statement by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader.
The statement was reported by the Islamic Republic News Agency, or IRNA.
Negotiators for Iran and the international community reached a preliminary framework agreement in April regarding controlling Iran’s nuclear ambitions and lifting international sanctions on the country. They have set themselves a deadline of June 30 for ironing out the details and reaching a final agreement.
Under the framework agreement, Iran would reduce its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98% and significantly scale back its number of installed centrifuges. In exchange, the United States and the European Union would lift sanctions that have crippled the country’s economy.
Israel is strongly opposed to the deal, saying it would not do enough to curtail Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons, nor would it contribute to security in the region.