Tennessee Senator Bob Corker today said he wants to talk to international inspectors before deciding whether to ratify the Iranian nuclear deal. Corker, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, indicated there’s a bipartisan hunger for information about the agreement’s limitations.
For instance, Corker says they need to know why inspectors won’t have the kind of total access to Iranian facilities as they had in Iraq during the 1990s.
But at a hearing Thursday, one expert hinted that level of inspection may not be a realistic goal.
“You’re absolutely right,” said Juan Zarate, “but we purchased those better inspections with a war.”
Zarate, who directs the Financial Integrity Network, said Iraq only submitted to what he calls “gold standard” inspections because they lost the first Gulf War.
Just like in Iraq, the inspections in Iran would be carried out by the International Atomic Energy Agency, (IAEA). Corker said he’s drafting a letter urging the IAEA to brief the Foreign Relations Committee in person next week. He especially hopes for more answers about how they’ll examine Parchin, a military base where many believe Iran has held ballistics tests key to developing nuclear weapons.
Last week, the IAEA indicated that a confidential side deal with Iran sets out the fine details of how Parchin would be monitored. It is relatively standard for the IAEA to be trusted to work out the nuts and bolts of how inspections will happen. But several senators insisted during the Thursday hearing that the proposed deal with Iran is not a standard agreement.
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