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What Iran's Hostile Reaction to the Parchin Issue Means for the Nuclear Deal
(Washington Post) David Albright - Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the Institute for Science and International Security was spreading lies when we published satellite imagery that showed renewed activity at the Parchin military site near Tehran. This site is linked by Western intelligence and the IAEA to past work on nuclear weapons. But instead of acknowledging the concern, the Iranians chose to deny the visible evidence in commercial satellite imagery. Zarif is also calling U.S. intelligence officials liars. They are the original source of the information about renewed activity at Parchin and concerns about that activity. It would be irresponsible not to worry about reports that suggest that Iran could be again sanitizing the site to thwart environmental sampling that could reveal past nuclear weapons activities there. This concern is further heightened because Iran has demanded to do this sampling itself instead of letting the IAEA do it. Such an arrangement is unprecedented and risky. U.S. officials have stated that Iran is required to address concerns about its past work on nuclear weapons prior to the lifting of sanctions. However, one could easily conclude that Iran's recent actions are the start of a reinterpretation of the agreement. The U.S. should clearly and publicly confirm that if Iran does not address concerns about the past military dimensions of its nuclear programs, U.S. sanctions will not be lifted. To do otherwise is to make a mockery of the nuclear deal. The writer is president of the Institute for Science and International Security.