The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday he was “disturbed” by reports that Iran would be responsible for inspecting its own nuclear sites and that such statements “misrepresent the way in which we will undertake this important verification work.”

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano was responding to a report published by the Associated Press on Wednesday asserting that two side agreements to the nuclear deal contained provisions allowing Iran to be responsible for its own sampling at its Parchin military site.

“The agreement in question diverges from normal procedures by allowing Tehran to employ its own experts and equipment in the search for evidence of activities it has consistently denied — trying to develop nuclear weapons,” the AP report said.

Amano reiterated that IAEA protocol doesn’t allow him to release the text of the documents, but he defended his agency’s ability to properly inspect Iran’s nuclear sites and verify its compliance with a deal.

“The separate arrangements under the Road-map agreed between the IAEA and Iran in July are confidential and I have a legal obligation not to make them public – the same obligation I have for hundreds of such arrangements made with other IAEA Member States,” Amano said in the statement. “However, I can state that the arrangements are technically sound and consistent with our long-established practices. They do not compromise our safeguards standards in any way.”

Critics of the Iran deal, particularly in Congress, have complained about lack of access to the contents of the agreement. Because of a bill spearheaded by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., lawmakers have the right to review the text of the deal agreed to between the major powers and Iran and vote either to approve or disapprove it. They’ve argued that without the text of the agreements between the IAEA and Iran, they don’t have enough information to decide if the deal will adequately prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Lawmakers in both the House and Senate have introduced measures of disapproval, which they will vote on when they return to Washington, D.C., following August recess.

The State Department wouldn't directly comment on the AP's report on the draft between the IAEA and Iran, with department spokesperson John Kirby saying it was inappropriate for him to address the confidential contents of the agreement between the agency and Tehran.

"We're confident and more than comfortable with the technical arrangements that the IAEA has to assure that they can properly address concerns about possible military dimensions of Iran's program in the past," Kirby said Thursday. "Just as importantly, we are very confident that this very aggressive inspection regimen that's in place in the deal going forward for the future is the strongest ever peacefully negotiated."

