IAEA Experts Cannot Have 24/7 Access to Iran’s Nuclear Sites - Congressman

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — International inspectors will not have “24/7” access to Iran’s nuclear facilities as claimed by Barack Obama administration officials, US Congressman Lee Zeldin said in a statement on Friday.

“When President Obama announced the Iran nuclear deal, he stated that inspectors will have 24/7 where necessary, when necessary access to Iran’s key nuclear facilities,” Zeldin said. “Putting aside that Americans aren't even permitted to participate on the inspection teams at all, it is simply 100 percent untrue that the IAEA inspectors will have 24/7 where necessary, when necessary access.”

On Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry addressed a US Senate hearing on the Iran nuclear deal and reiterated that international inspectors will have 24/7 access to Tehran’s nuclear facilities. The inspectors would be able to know if Iran is diverting uranium or building secret centrifuges through a tight inspection regime, Kerry added.

The Obama administration has been trying to sell the Iran nuclear agreement to a skeptical Congress and US public, arguing there is no better deal than the one reached with Iran short of an undesirable war.

On July 14, 2015, Iran and the P5+1 group of countries — comprised of the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom plus Germany — reached an agreement on maintaining a peaceful nature Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.