Report of secret side-deal with Iran roils already intense nuke vote

WASHINGTON – A report of a secret side-deal has roiled the already intense battle in the United States over the historic international nuclear agreement with Iran.

It arrives as undecided U.S. lawmakers face intense pressure from both sides as they weigh one of the most consequential foreign-policy decisions of their careers.

It has forced proponents of the deal to fend off a pair of criticisms: that they’ve allowed Iran to inspect itself, and that they’ve kept too many details secret for an issue with such major geopolitical implications.

The Associated Press published purported details of an arrangement that gives the Iranian government control over inspections at a site suspected long ago of having been home to a covert nuclear-weapons program.

It said Iran would provide the photos, videos and environmental samples from the Parchin military facility, in an arrangement with international inspectors stemming from the main July deal between Iran and world powers.

Under that arrangement with the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, the international body would reportedly be responsible for authenticating the results.

Opponents hoping to derail the deal face an uphill battle over the coming weeks, but they’ve seized on the story in an effort to build momentum for their side.

“The Obama administration has a lot of explaining to do,” said Republican House Speaker John Boehner.

“Why haven’t these secret side agreements been provided to Congress and the American people for review? Why should Iran be trusted to carry out its own nuclear inspections at a military site it tried to hide from the world? How does this not set a precedent for future inspections at suspicious military sites in Iran?”

Deal proponents were left insisting the report was inaccurate. They also insisted the main deal does give international inspectors control at more important, current, nuclear-research facilities.

But they struggled to offer specifics about the side-deal for the Parchin military site — because they said it was governed by a confidential agreement between Iran and the IAEA.

The IAEA’s director-general merely called the story a misrepresentation.

“I am disturbed by statements suggesting that the IAEA has given responsibility for nuclear inspections to Iran,” said Yukiya Amano.

“Such statements misrepresent the way in which we will undertake this important verification work. The separate arrangements … are confidential and I have a legal obligation not to make them public…

“However, I can state that the arrangements are technically sound and consistent with our long-established practices. They do not compromise our safeguards standards in any way.”

Under the broad deal, some economic sanctions against Iran would be loosened in exchange for inspections and a pause on nuclear-weapons ambitions.

The deal is vigorously opposed by Israel’s Netanyahu government, which warns of devastating consequences. Opponents have lobbied furiously, with TV and newspaper ads targeting on-the-fence lawmakers.

For example, a full-page ad in Sunday’s New York Times addressed one wavering U.S. lawmaker. Underneath his photo, it asked: “Senator Cory Booker: Will you… reject this catastrophic Iran Deal?… We implore you to kill the deal with Iran. Before Iranian nukes kill millions of Americans.”

Despite that lobbying, opponents may be out of luck.

A vote-tally shows them within striking distance of the 60 per cent they need to pass an anti-deal bill in the Senate — but it’ll be harder to get the 67-per-cent majority to override the inevitable presidential veto.

One nuclear expert said it’s hard to know what to make of the AP report.

Gregory Koblentz said there is a precedent for international inspectors to rely on the host nation — just two years ago, the Syrian regime used tamper-proof, GPS-tagged video cameras to document the conditions at chemical sites.

However, he said environmental testing is much more complex, as is the chain of custody over who controls the samples.

“Without being able to read the entire document it is not possible to assess the effectiveness and integrity of the proposed environmental sampling component of the IAEA’s inspection of Parchin,” said an email from Koblentz, a member of the Scientist Working Group on Chemical and Biological Weapons at Washington’s Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.

After critics questioned the details of the report Thursday, the AP published what it said was a transcription of a draft version of the IAEA-Iran arrangement.

It said two sources had confirmed the draft did not differ from the final version.