Ghalibaf Rules Out IAEA Access to Bombed Nuclear Sites

According to the Government Information Center, Parliament Speaker and chief Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf made the remarks during the second part of a televised interview broadcast on Wednesday evening.

Referring to the Zurich negotiations, Ghalibaf said the talks had accelerated efforts to secure the release of Iran's frozen assets and placed the suspension of sanctions on the agenda.

Defending his participation in the negotiations, he said that had he not traveled to Zurich and pursued the Islamic Republic's conditions, critics would have questioned why those conditions had not been followed up.

Ghalibaf also referred to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution's message regarding the recent memorandum of understanding, saying the Leader had emphasized that both he and the Iranian people were awaiting the implementation of its conditions, making it necessary to pursue those commitments. 

Ghalibaf criticized some of the reactions to the negotiations, saying certain individuals neither help the country through diplomacy nor contribute on the battlefield, while he remains committed to pursuing both diplomacy and defending the country.

Addressing critics, he urged them not to repeat U.S. President Donald Trump's rhetoric and called for allowing the Iranian people to enjoy peace of mind and take pride in the Islamic Republic.

The parliament speaker also reiterated that the liberation of al-Quds remains a strategic objective of the Islamic Republic, saying that preserving Lebanon is essential to achieving that goal.

Rejecting reports that IAEA inspectors would be allowed to visit bombed nuclear facilities, Ghalibaf said the claims were "completely false."

He added that, under a law approved by Parliament and a resolution adopted by the Supreme National Security Council, no access whatsoever will be granted to nuclear sites that were bombed and damaged, describing the restriction as a binding legal requirement.