TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani has said Iran will abide by a voluntary acceptance of the additional protocol for implementing the nuclear deal, calling for “fair inspection” of Iranian nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Rouhani made the remarks during a meeting with IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano in Tehran on Sunday.

The president said Iran cooperates with the IAEA based on “mutual trust” and “the international regulations”,

Over the last twelve years Iran has established “vast relations” with the IAEA and always made efforts to make the relations “good, regular and legal”, he said.

He also described the IAEA’s duties as “important and complicated” in from technical, political and legal point of view.

The president added that the world’s public opinion should build trust on the IAEA.

The Iranian president also said that the IAEA is duty bound to monitor the countries’ nuclear activities to prevent any deviation from peaceful programs and also help countries enjoy civilian nuclear technology.

Rouhani expressed hope that the agency would contribute to Iran’s scientific advances in nuclear technology.

Elsewhere, he said that Iran’s nuclear activities have always been peaceful and this has been proved by the IAEA’s inspections in the past.

Rouhani also said that the IAEA plays an “effective” role in implementing the nuclear agreement, officially known as the JCPOA, signed between Iran six major world powers.

For his part, Amano said he attaches great importance to the nuclear agreement and the ways to implementing it.

The IAEA seeks transparency of the issues and fulfillment of its duties which can be good examples for long term cooperation, Amano said.

He added that the agency will make efforts to report without taking sides.

Iran and the 5+1 group - the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany - finalized the text of JCPOA in Vienna on July 14.

On July 20, the UN Security Council turned the JCPOA into international law by endorsing a resolution, setting the stage for the lifting of the Security Council sanctions against Iran.

On Thursday, U.S. Senate Democrats blocked legislation meant to kill the nuclear deal for a third time, securing perhaps the greatest foreign policy win of President Barack Obama’s six years in office and clearing the way to implement the accord.

NA/PA