Iran agrees to "managed" inspections to military sites for nuclear deal: negotiator

Iranian negotiation team has accepted inspections into Iran's military sites in talks with world powers for a possible nuclear deal, Iran's senior nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday, according to semi-official Fars News Agency.

The Iranian negotiation team has accepted an enclosed protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which allows "managed inspections" to its military sites, Araqchi said, stressing the inspections should be strictly managed by Iranian authorities.

However, the Iranian negotiators have not accepted the talks and interviews with the country's nuclear scientists, he said.

The remarks by Araqchi were made in the closed-door meeting of Iran's Majlis (parliament) on Sunday following the conservative lawmakers' recent questions to the Iranian negotiation team about the developments of the nuclear talks ahead of June 30 deadline.

On Wednesday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tehran would not allow inspections into any of its military sites by foreigners under the pretext of a possible nuclear deal.

Also, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Thursday that Iran would never sign a nuclear deal that would allow foreign access to the country's scientific and military secrets.

Iran and world powers concluded latest round of negotiations on Friday in a run to finalize an accord on the country's nuclear issue.

Iran and the P5+1 group, namely the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China, plus Germany, have held several rounds of talks on a comprehensive nuclear accord since 2008.

Iran's nuclear program has long been a subject of concern for Western powers, who believe it to be geared toward developing nuclear weapons. Iran insists it has an inalienable right to develop its civilian atomic plan. Endit