Tehran, April 11 (IANS): Iran will never allow a potential nuclear deal with the world powers to lead to the monitoring of its military and missile capabilities, Iran's senior nuclear negotiator said on Saturday.
Iran "absolutely rejects" any foreign access to its military facilities under the pretext of addressing the so-called "possible military dimensions" of Tehran's nuclear programne, Abbas Araqchi told Iranian Tasnim News agency on Saturday.
"Our missiles, either ballistic or others, will not be under the supervision and monitoring of the other side" subject to a nuclear deal, he said, alluding to recent remarks of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that Iran's defence capabilities was not on the agenda of the nuclear talks with the powers and will never be included in any nuclear deal.
A similar stance was echoed by a high-ranking Iranian military commander who said Tehran would never allow the inspection of its military sites as part of a possible nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers.
"During the previous negotiations, the Iranian officials... have explicitly and unequivocally expressed the prohibition of any inspection of Iran's military and defence centres and facilities," Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brig. Gen. Masoud Jazayeri said.
However, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said on Thursday that the inspection of Iran's military facilities would be part of any final nuclear agreement between Tehran and the six world powers.
"Such remarks either show the low understanding of the speaker or stem from the overwhelming bias of the American negotiating side," Jazayeri said.
"Iran will implement an agreed set of measures to address the IAEA's (International Atomic Energy Agency) concerns regarding the Possible Military Dimensions of its programme," said a fact sheet issued by the US following the latest nuclear talks between Iran and the P5 1 group of major world powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US -- in the Swiss city of Lausanne.
Iran and the six world powers reached a framework accord last week on the parameters of Iran's nuclear programme, with a view to sealing a final comprehensive accord by the end of June.