Iran's Qalibaf Rejects IAEA Access to Bombed Nuclear Sites

Iran's Parliament Speaker and chief nuclear negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf has firmly rejected reports that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been granted access to nuclear sites damaged in U.S.-Israeli strikes. Speaking to reporters, Qalibaf stated that Iranian law permits inspections at only two facilities: the Bushehr power plant and the Tehran research reactor.

"We ourselves passed a law in parliament; the Supreme National Security Council also has a resolution. Under this law, absolutely no access is given to sites that have been bombed and damaged. This is the law," Qalibaf said. He emphasized that the level of access is determined by the Supreme National Security Council, which has set the framework, and that Iran will offer no concessions beyond what that body has authorized.

"Right now, they only have the right of access in two sites: the Bushehr power plant and the Tehran reactor. Access has been limited to that and we are committed to it," he added.

Qalibaf, who heads Iran's negotiating team, defended his handling of the diplomatic track, saying critics "neither help the country in diplomacy nor in war, but I am standing to both fight and conduct diplomacy." He also made remarks regarding the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, stating: "Blood vengeance for our martyred Imam is the liberation of al-Quds, and for that we must preserve Lebanon. Blood vengeance cannot be achieved with slogans."

"Our enemy understands nothing but the language of power, and we must deal with it from a position of strength," he added.

The remarks follow Doha talks this week where Iran and mediators held discussions without U.S. participation, with Tehran formally raising American violations of the ceasefire Memorandum of Understanding. According to Mehr News Agency, Qalibaf's statements reaffirm Iran's strict adherence to its own legal framework regarding nuclear inspections.