An American response is expected today.. the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization: The file of the alleged nuclear sites must be ended before any possible agreement

The head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, said that Iran has no undeclared nuclear sites and that the allegations in this regard are not new, stressing that "the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors should close the file of the alleged nuclear sites before implementing any agreement." The Washington Post, citing sources, said that the US response to the draft nuclear agreement with Iran is expected today, Wednesday.

Eslami pointed out that the media propaganda against Iran is a political goal to influence the nuclear negotiations, adding that "the Iranian response regarding the alleged sites was clear and the opposite party must take the decision."

Eslami stated that Iran would accept control over its nuclear program within the framework of the nuclear agreement, without any addition or subtraction, as he put it.

He stressed that Iran will abide by the restrictions on its program "in accordance with the nuclear agreement if others abide by their commitments."

Revolutionary Guards

On the other hand, the adviser to the Iranian negotiating delegation in Vienna, Muhammad Marandi, said that removing the Revolutionary Guards from the list of terrorist organizations was not a prerequisite for completing the nuclear agreement.

He added in a tweet that Iran's nuclear program will not be dismantled and no deal will be implemented before the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Directors finally closes the file of the Iranian nuclear program and what he described as false accusations.

Iran's chief negotiator Ali Bagheri (Anadolu Agency - archive)

American and European response

The Washington Post quoted US officials as saying that the United States' response to the draft nuclear agreement with Iran is expected today, Wednesday, adding that after Washington's response, there will likely be a need to return to Vienna for another round of negotiations.

For his part, the Coordinator of Strategic Communications at the US National Security Council, John Kirby, said that the agreement with Iran would re-establish a stricter inspection regime that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and will enable the deployment of inspectors in the field to see what the Iranians are doing.

He added in an interview with the American network "Fox" that the United States understands Israel's concerns, but President Joe Biden believes that any problem in the Middle East will be difficult to solve in the presence of a nuclear-armed Iran.

He pointed out that Washington wants Iran to return to this deal in order to eliminate the possibility of Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons, stressing that diplomacy is the best way to move forward to achieve a result.

Earlier on Tuesday, a senior US administration official, who asked not to be named, confirmed that Iran had agreed, in particular, to drop its demand to block some inspections by the United Nations at its nuclear facilities.

The official did not clarify what inspections Iran had made concessions on, knowing that this issue is considered extremely sensitive for Tehran and Washington alike.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, announced on Tuesday that a nuclear deal with Iran could be reached this week.

Borrell said, in a statement to the Spanish radio "TVE", that Iran responded to the European proposal, last week, and "accepted it with some modifications."

He added that "the majority" of the countries involved in the negotiations to revive the agreement agreed to the Iranian amendments.

American National Security and Israeli Concern

For his part, the Republican member of the US Senate, Ted Cruz, said that returning to the Iranian nuclear agreement would have catastrophic effects on the national security of the United States and its allies and the security of the Americas, as he put it.

Cruz added in a statement that tens of thousands will die because of what he described as Iranian terrorism that this agreement will provide, and that tens of millions may die because of the nuclear arsenal that the agreement will also provide to Tehran, as he put it.

In this context, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz will conduct a two-day security and political visit to the United States on Thursday, during which he will discuss the issue of signing an agreement between Washington and Tehran, according to the Anatolia Agency quoted by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

The newspaper said that Gantz will address in his meetings in Washington the issue of "how to ensure that the large funds that will be released to the Iranians do not flow to their militias and use them in a terrorist campaign," as the newspaper put it.

The newspaper claimed that Iran is now transferring about half a billion dollars to Hezbollah, adding, "If tens of billions are available to it soon, (Iran) will be able to double its support for Hezbollah, as well as for the Islamic Jihad and the Houthis in Yemen."