Iran's conservative-controlled parliament threatens to block UN probe

Gulf Daily News:

Top deputies in Iran's conservative-controlled parliament have threatened to limit UN inspectors' access to nuclear sites if the country comes under too much pressure.

Foreign policy commission spokesman Kazem Jalali said deputies concluded at an emergency meeting that they could force the hardline government to revoke its commitment to an additional protocol of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The protocol, already signed by the government but not yet ratified by parliament, gives the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) extra powers to probe nuclear facilities.

Iran says its nuclear programme is a peaceful effort to generate electricity - something it insists it has a right to do as a signatory of the NPT.