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Iran says it won’t expel nuclear watchdog inspectors

Government officials stressed that international watchdog inspectors will not be expelled from Iran’s nuclear sites, rejecting a senior lawmaker’s statement that such a plan was in the pipeline if the United States failed to lift sanctions against Tehran.

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A picture taken on Nov. 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, during an official ceremony to kick-start works on a second reactor at the facility. Bushehr is Iran's only nuclear power station and is currently running on imported fuel from Russia that is closely monitored by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency. — ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

The spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said Tehran has no plans to expel inspectors dispatched by the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) for regular visits to the country’s nuclear sites.

Khatibzadeh was addressing questions and concerns raised after a stern warning from senior lawmaker Ahmad Amir-Abadi Farahani. The hard-line parliamentarian said in a televised interview earlier this week that the Islamic Republic will “definitely” push out those inspectors if the incoming Joe Biden administration fails to lift US sanctions against Iran by Feb. 21.

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