Iran Lawmakers Make Surprise Nuke-Deal Demand

Iran's parliament votes to limit inspections of nuclear sites
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 21, 2015 2:00 PM CDT
Iran Lawmakers: No Nuke Inspections on Military Sites
On Wednesday, May 20, 2015, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, arrives at a graduation ceremony of the Revolutionary Guard's officers.   (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

With some lawmakers chanting "Death to the America," Iran's parliament voted to ban access to military sites, documents, and scientists as part of a future deal with world powers over its contested nuclear program. The bill, if ratified, could complicate the ongoing talks in Vienna between Iran and the six-nation group—the US, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany—as they face a self-imposed June 30 deadline. The talks are focused on reaching a final accord that curbs Iran's nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. Of 213 lawmakers present today, 199 voted in favor of the bill, which also demands the complete lifting of all sanctions against Iran as part of any final nuclear accord.

The bill must be ratified by the Guardian Council, a constitutional watchdog, to become a law. The terms stipulated in the bill allow for international inspections of Iranian nuclear sites, but forbid any inspections of military facilities. Iran's nuclear negotiators say they already have agreed to grant United Nations inspectors "managed access" to military sites under strict control and specific circumstances. That right includes allowing inspectors to take environmental samples around military sites. All parties "are well aware of what is necessary for a final deal, including the access and transparency that will meet our bottom lines," the US State Department said today. "We won't agree to a deal without that." (More Iran nuclear weapons program stories.)

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