Iran will be allowed to use its own experts to inspect an alleged nuclear site. Photo: Nanking2012 via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – The United Nations agency responsible for nuclear inspections has its own separate side agreement with Iran that allows the Islamic Republic to carry out its own inspections at the Parchin nuclear site.

As part the deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will diverge from its normal procedure of inspecting the nuclear sites and will let Iran “employ its own experts and equipment in the search for evidence or activities that it has consistently denied—trying to develop nuclear weapons,” the Associated Pressreported.

According to the report, the Parchin deal is a side agreement that was worked out by the IAEA and Iran, apart from the larger nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 nations, who were briefed about the side deal but not directly involved with it.

Republican U.S. lawmakers—who are in the midst of their 60-day period to review the Iran nuclear agreement—were quick to criticize the side deal, which highlights their claim that the larger nuclear deal is flawed because it is built on trusting the usually untrustworthy Iranians.

“Trusting Iran to inspect its own nuclear site and report to the U.N. in an open and transparent way is remarkably naive and incredibly reckless. This revelation only reinforces the deep-seated concerns the American people have about the agreement,” said U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the Senate’s Majority Whip.