Iran Opens Opportunities To Allow US Nuclear Inspection As Long As There Is An Agreement

JAKARTA - The Iranian government is open to considerations to allow the United States to inspect the country's nuclear facilities through the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Provided, an agreement is reached in the ongoing nuclear negotiations.

Iran's head of Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, said that Tehran could accept inspections from the US if the two countries managed to reach an agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

Over the past two months, Iran and the US have been involved in nuclear diplomacy mediated by Oman. So far, five rounds of indirect talks have taken place in Muscat and Roma.

One of the crucial points in the negotiations is uranium enrichment. The US urged the termination of the program, while Iran insisted that enrichment would continue.

Eslami emphasized that Iran's nuclear program is completely peaceful and under the supervision of the IAEA. He added that uranium enrichment is part of Iran's national sovereignty.

He also voiced his frustration over the disproportionate spotlight on his country, considering Iran's nuclear capacity is only less than 3 percent of the total global capacity, but gets 25 percent of the total IAEA inspection.

According to Eslami, the halt to uranium enrichment will have a broad impact on various sectors, including health and the environment. He noted that about one million Iranians depend annually on radio pharmaceutical products.

"If we can't enrich and can't produce 20 percent uranium fuel to operate Tehran Reactors, then we can't produce radiopharmaceuticals. The first impact will be felt directly on the health sector," Eslami said, quoting Antara.

He also highlighted the impact of removing enrichment to foodstuffs, pharmaceutical products, and research reactors that require various types of isotopes.

If the enrichment industry is taken from a country, then the country's scientific progress will be threatened. They (West countries) do not provide Iran with software or hardware, "he added.

Iranian officials insist that the issue of uranium enrichment is not to be negotiated.

Ahead of the fifth round of talks on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the request for a halt to total uranium enrichment was unacceptable to Iran.

The Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized that Tehran is not seeking nuclear weapons.