Iran
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet and Rothwell, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the access of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to the Parchin facility in Iran.

Alistair Burt (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Afghanistan/South Asia, counter terrorism/proliferation, North America, Middle East and North Africa), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; North East Bedfordshire, Conservative)

In its November 2011 resolution, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors calls on Iran to provide the Agency with

“access to all relevant information, documentation, sites, material and personnel in Iran.”

Since then, the IAEA has in successive reports reiterated its request for access to Parchin, including most recently in its report of 25 May 2012. In response to the agency's request in May, Iran stated that access would not be possible until agreement had been reached on a structured approach to clarify all outstanding issues. Despite the agency's efforts, Iran has so far failed to finalise agreement to such a structured approach, and continues to deny the agency the access it needs to be able to assure the international community that there are no ongoing activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device.