Iran will not allow American or Canadian inspectors working for the UN nuclear watchdog to visit its nuclear facilities, a senior nuclear negotiator said in remarks broadcast by state TV on Thursday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran will only allow inspectors from countries that have diplomatic relations with it. "American and Canadian inspectors cannot be sent to Iran," said Araqchi. "It is mentioned in the deal that inspectors should be from countries that have diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran." He also said inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency will not have access to "sensitive and military documents." Iran and the US severed diplomatic relations after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the subsequent takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran by students. Canada closed its embassy in Tehran on flimsy grounds and cut diplomatic relations in 2012.
