Iran has 'nothing to hide', Zarif tells Europeans

TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday reacted to a draft resolution submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors by the Europeans, saying that Tehran has "nothing to hide". Zarif suggested that "an agreeable solution is possible" but warned that adoption of "a resolution will ruin it". "Board of Governors should not allow JCPOA enemies to jeopardize Iran's supreme interests," Zarif said in a Twitter post. Addressing the three European signatories to the Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran's chief diplomat said, "E3 should not be an accessory, after failing own JCPOA duties. We've nothing to hide. More inspections in Iran over the last 5 years than in IAEA history." In his tweet, Zarif also posted a screenshot of a page showing the number of complementary accesses to Iran's nuclear facilities. France, Britain and Germany, the three European parties to the JCPOA, have submitted a draft resolution to the IAEA Board of Governors calling on Iran to provide access for the agency to two old sites, diplomats taking part in the virtual meeting said on Thursday. Diplomats said that Iran’s ally Russia told the board it saw no need for a resolution but China voiced clear opposition, prompting the board’s chairwoman to call an in-person meeting on Friday for further discussions and possibly a vote. China said that pressing a "non-urgent" issue with a resolution could eventually lead to action by the UN Security Council and "the ultimate termination" of the JCPOA. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi recently made anti-Iran allegations, claiming that Tehran had refused to grant access to the two nuclear sites. At the board's meeting on Thursday over Grossi's report on Iran and the NPT via video conference, Iran's Ambassador to the IAEA, Kazem Gharibiabadi, said, "Iran acknowledges the IAEA's right for asking legitimate questions, seeking transparency or demand of access for its mission; meanwhile, Iran also emphasizes its right as a member state to request that the IAEA provide solid evidence and supporting documents and arguments in this regard."