(MENAFN - Qatar News Agency) There has been no agreement yet on an inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the military complex of Parchin near Tehran, Iran's atomic chief told state media on Sunday.
Iran says that inspection of the Parchin complex is not within UN jurisdiction, as its use as a nuclear site is only based on Western intelligence reports.
"The IAEA is pressured by some countries to inspect the Parchin complex but we have not yet agreed on that," Fereydoun Abbasi, chief of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said.
"We have not yet been persuaded and not yet been provided with necessary documents for justifying inspection of a complex which is no nuclear site," he added, according to the Iranian (ISNA) news agency.
Iran reiterated in nuclear negotiations with the world powers earlier this week in Baghdad that without acknowledgment of the country's nuclear rights, and without lifting sanctions, there could be no breakthrough in the ongoing nuclear dispute.
The two main issues currently discussed between Iran and the UN nuclear agency are the inspection of the Parchin complex and the 20 per cent uranium enrichment process.
Iran says that there should be a step-by-step process - as suggested by Russia - upon which, according to Tehran's interpretation, the demands by the West should be met after the rights of Iran were acknowledged.
According to Iran, the country's right to a civil nuclear programme, including low-grade uranium enrichment, and lifting sanctions, should be affected simultaneously with any Iranian move to allow a Parchin inspection and seeking an alternative to the 20 per cent uranium enrichment.
The Iranian atomic chief also played down the increase of the enrichment to 27 per cent, as mentioned in the latest IAEA report, and said it was only a technical error which could be easily clarified.
"Our machines (centrifuges) can even enrich more than this (27 per cent) but fact is that we do not need more than 20 per cent that and therefore this 27 per cent issue should not lead to new challenges between Iran and the IAEA," Abbasi said.
The next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the six powers - Britain, China, France. Germany, Russia and the United States - will be held on June 18 in Moscow.
