Iranian representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ali Akbar Salehi, on 18 December signed an additional protocol of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which will allow the organisation to carry out more intrusive inspections in the country. The signing comes a week after Tehran confirmed that it would sign the treaty, and after months of political wrangling over the matter between Iran and the international community. 'We have agreed to sign the protocol to prove that our [nuclear] activities are peaceful,' Iranian vice-president, Gholamreza Aghazedeh, told reporters on 17 December. The signed text must now be passed to the Iranian parliament. If parliament votes in favour of the text, it will be given to the Guardian Council, which would decide on whether the protocol fits into Islamic and Iranian law.