Report: ElBaradei negotiates secret deal with Iran to end sanctions
The Times reports of secretly negotiated deal between UN watchdog chief, Iran according to which Security Council would lift sanctions, allow Tehran to retain bulk of nuclear program in exchange for tighter UN inspection. IAEA elements deny existence of deal
Days before he stands down as director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a last effort deal negotiated between Mohamed ElBaradei and Iran has been reveled.
The IAEA and Iranian officials have been secretly negotiating a deal according to which world powers would lift sanctions and allow Tehran to retain the bulk of its nuclear program in return for co-operation with UN inspectors, the Times newspaper reported Tuesday. IAEA officials denied the existence of such a document.
According to the report, ElBaradei drafted a 13-point agreement in September in order to break the stalemate in contacts between Iran and world powers, before his term ends at the end of November.
The secret deal would allow Iran to maintain and even expand its uranium enrichment program in the sites in Natanz and Qom, under closer IAEA scrutiny, as part of a globally managed nuclear fuel bank.
According to section 10 in the agreement, should Iran comply with arrangements, the signatories would report positively to the UN Security Council and lift sanctions.
“At first, the sanctions prohibiting the movement of scientists and technicians are to be lifted immediately, as are the sanctions connected to the supply of spare parts for aircraft and other essential activities,” the draft stated.
Increase or decrease sanctions?
The deal's outline stipulates that the UN Security Council would revoke the three existing sanctions and five resolutions ordering Iran to halt its uranium enrichment, at a time when the West is focused on imposing more sanctions on Iran, not fewer.
The document stated that Russia and China, which are leaning towards a compromise with Iran, could find benefits with ElBaradei's deal.
IAEA elements denied the existence of the document, which was leaked to the Times by one of the parties alarmed by its contents.
Diplomats asserted that despite the assessment that Iran could be hiding multiple secret nuclear sites, ElBaradei was hoping to form an agreement with Tehran that he could present to the six world powers. The diplomats claimed the deal was meant to secure the IAEA chief's legacy following claims made against him regarding his dealing with the Iranian issue.
