TEHRAN – Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has emphasized that the implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty entails the parliament’s authorization.

The remarks by Larijani came as nuclear negotiators Mohammad Javad Zarif and his deputy Abbas Araqhchi attended a closed-door meeting of Majlis to brief MPs about the details of negotiations.

“Majlis carefully studies the Additional Protocol and with the permission of Majlis the implementation of the Additional Protocol is legally impossible,” MP Karim Qoddusi quoted Larijani as saying.

According to Qoddusi, Larijani asked the negotiators to brief MPs about every stage of negotiations with great powers in a “written form”.

During the meeting, Larijani called on the nuclear negotiators to make use of all diplomatic capacity for a resolution of the nuclear issue, Qoddusi told reporters.

The parliament speaker said resolution of regional and international problems through diplomacy is Iran’s principled policy, Qoddusi added.

Larijani also said the best way for the country’s progress is to rely only on internal capacities in order to become self-sufficient.

Larijani said the country’s nuclear issue, its economic challenges, and regional developments are the three most important challenges facing Iran at the present juncture.

------- Zarif briefs parliament on nuclear talks

Foreign Minister Zarif, who acts as chief nuclear negotiator, assured the legislators that he and his deputies would abide by the redlines set by the Supreme Leader, Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular and Parliamentary Affairs Hassan Qashqavi told reporters.

Zarif and Araqchi also answered the legislators’ questions on the procedure for terminating sanctions on Iran under a possible final nuclear deal, Behrouz Ne’mati, the spokesman for the parliament presiding board, told reporters.

Ne’mati said the future inspection of the country’s nuclear facilities was among other issues discussed during the meeting.

Araqchi underlined that any inspection of the country’s nuclear sites will be within the framework of the Additional Protocol and that Tehran will not agree to anything beyond it, Ne’mati added.

Head of the Parliament Social Committee Jabbar Kouchakinejad also confirmed that during the meeting Zarif vowed that his team could respect the country’s and the Leader’s redlines in the talks.

--------‘It will not be end of the world if there is no deal’

Kouchakinejad said Zarif underscored that Iran is not seeking a comprehensive agreement with world powers at any price, saying the foreign minister stated that “it would not be end of the world” if there is no nuclear agreement.

He also quoted Araqchi, the second most important negotiator, as saying that the country’s nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordo, and Arak would keep on with their operation if Iran and the 5+1 agree to sign a final deal.

Iran and the 5+1 group (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany) wrapped up their latest round of talks in Vienna on May 22 in another effort to narrow down the remaining differences and pave the way for a possible final nuclear deal.

The two sides reached a mutual understanding on the parameters of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – as the comprehensive agreement on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program is called – in the Swiss city of Lausanne on April 2.

--------- Iran agrees to ‘managed access’ to nuclear sites

“Iran has agreed to grant managed access to military sites,” as part of a future deal over its contested nuclear program, Araqchi said Sunday.

Araqchi also said that Iranian negotiators rejected demands that Iranian nuclear scientists be interviewed.

“Americans are after interviewing our nuclear scientists. We didn’t accept it,” he said.

Lawmaker Ahmad Shoohani, a member of the Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee who was present at the closed-door session, said restricted inspections of military sites will be carried out under strict control and specific circumstances.

“Managed access will be in a shape where UN inspectors will have the possibility of taking environmental samples from the vicinity of military sites,” Shoohani said.

------- Negotiating team ensured Majlis not to doubt their national goals --

The country’s nuclear negotiating team assured legislators that they will not accept 5+1 group’s demands for unmanaged inspection of Iran’s military sites, said Kazem Jalali, head of the Parliament Research Center.

They also underlined that the parliament must not doubt their national aspirations, Jalali emphasized.

He also underlined that Zarif and his team convinced members of parliament that they will do what they can to defend national interests based on the Supreme Leader’s guidelines.

MD/P