Iran DM Rejects Report on Inspection of Military Centers Based on Lausanne Understanding
(FNA)- Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan categorically rejected as a "lie" a Guardian report alleging that Tehran has granted access to its military facilities under the recent framework agreement with the world powers.
"No such agreement has been made; principally speaking, visit to military centers is among our redlines and no such visit will be accepted," Gen. Dehqan stressed on Wednesday, rejecting "the report by foreign media outlets, such as the Guardian" as "untruthful allegations".
The Iranian defense minister reiterated that the Supreme Leader's guidelines, government's strategy and the negotiating team's resolve have placed the Iranian diplomacy on a path that it would never allow the opposite parties to the talks impose their will on the Iranian nation.
Iran and the G5+1 started their new round of talks in Lausanne, Switzerland, late in March to narrow their differences over Tehran's nuclear energy program ahead of a July 1 deadline.
After nine days of hard work, the seven nations reached an understanding on Thursday which laid the ground for them to start drafting the final nuclear deal.
On Tuesday, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari underscored that termination of all sanctions and possession of the full nuclear fuel cycle as Iran's redline in any nuclear agreement with the world powers.
"In addition to the right of possessing the nuclear enrichment cycle and Research and Development (R&D), termination of all the relevant sanctions which are the centerpiece of the Iranian nation's demands are our redline," Jafari said, addressing the IRGC commanders in Tehran on Tuesday.
He, meantime, appreciated the Iranian diplomats and negotiators for their efforts, resistance and emphasis on the redlines, and said after the preliminary agreement between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) in Lausanne, the US president admitted that the military option and continued sanctions against Iran will make the country stronger and more determined.
"The US which was seeking to change Iran's political behavior was forced to change its political behavior towards our people, and contrary to its previous policy, it was forced to forget all its over-the-table options and replace them with the diplomatic path to settle the nuclear issue," Jafari said.
He said "the Iranian nation's resistance made the US fail in imposing its political will on the Islamic Republic of Iran".
Jafari, meantime, said that a difficult path is still ahead of diplomatic efforts given the US untrustworthiness and non-commitment to its undertakings.
In relevant remarks on Monday, Commander of Iran's Basij (volunteer) Force Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi said the untruthfulness of Washington officials in their remarks about the Lausanne Statement issued jointly by Iran and the six world powers displayed that the US was an untrustworthy partner to any deal.
"The comments made after the Lausanne negotiations once again showed the United States' strong grudge against the Iranians and proved that the US officials are liars and untrustworthy," Naqdi said, addressing Basij personnel in Tehran.
"After 9 days of breathtaking nuclear negotiations in Lausanne, the US president and other officials now deny the principal agreements and present opposing interpretations," the influential commander said, and continued, "They cite Iran's undertakings, but fabricate and deny the commitments that they have made to the Iranian delegation."
He said the Americans defy their agreements and do not comply with their undertakings due to their wrong impression of the effects and efficiency power of the sanctions.
"The Americans do not want to lose their main pressure leverage, and they are in a rush to strike a deal because inefficiency of the sanctions is growing increasingly evident, and in the near future no one would comply with them," the Basij commander concluded.