Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) said the revelation by the Associated Press that the United Nations agency responsible for monitoring Iran’s compliance with the Administration-backed nuclear deal has entered into a side agreement that would allow Iranians to inspect their own nuclear facility further discredits the deal and justifies his opposition to this agreement. (See Rep. Smith’s earlier statement on the Iranian nuclear agreement.)

According to the Associated Press report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reached a heretofore secret arrangement with Iran that would allow Iranian inspectors to investigate allegations that atomic weapons are being produced at the Parchin nuclear site. There have been persistent rumors of such activity at Parchin, as well as rumors of the IAEA agreement conceding inspections of the site to Iran.

“This is an outrageous arrangement. Even though the United States and the other international negotiators are not believed to have been a direct party to this secret deal, the Associated Press reported that the international negotiators endorsed it as part of the overall agreement,” Smith said. “The Administration and the other partners to this Iran nuclear deal had an abiding interest in keeping this IAEA arrangement secret because it invalidates the entire nuclear deal.”

Even in the aftermath of the Associated Press report, the Administration continues to claim that the nuclear deal has stringent safeguards to prevent Iranian cheating on the agreement. As recently as this past Wednesday, White House spokesman Ned Price said, “The IAEA has separately developed the most robust inspection regime ever peacefully negotiated.”

[TLS]