IAEA warns urgent access is needed to Iranian nuclear sites amid verification concerns

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said it urgently needs access to Iranian nuclear sites and information on nuclear material, warning that the lack of verification is a proliferation concern. In a quarterly report seen by news agencies, the UN nuclear watchdog said the situation requires "utmost urgency". The report also highlighted unresolved access issues at facilities including the Isfahan plant.

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The agency said its lack of information about the material and its inability to verify it at facilities in Iran is a matter of proliferation concern. Director General Rafael Grossi said the long-standing problems and repeated crises around the issue should be resolved through a long-lasting, verifiable diplomatic agreement. Iran, however, has said access to sites struck by military action must be handled through special arrangements.

Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said on 26 August that the agency "cannot seek to inspect these centres until it develops specific criteria and protocols for inspecting sites targeted by military attacks". Tehran suspended cooperation with the UN watchdog after US and Israeli attacks in June 2025 that included strikes on nuclear sites, before later saying in September 2025 that inspectors would be allowed to return. Even so, access to bombed nuclear sites has still not been granted.

The dispute matters because it sits at the centre of wider concerns about Iran's nuclear programme and the ability of international inspectors to account for enriched uranium. The report said Iran's stores of enriched uranium remain unaccounted for, adding to pressure for a clearer verification process. The issue also carries diplomatic weight because the IAEA board of governors is due to discuss the latest report later this month.

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The Isfahan plant has been singled out in the report as a site where access remains unresolved. The facility was targeted several times by the US and Israel over the past year or so, according to the report. That history has made the question of inspection more sensitive, with Tehran arguing that any return by inspectors must reflect the damage caused by military action.

What remains unclear is when, or whether, Iran will grant the access the agency says it needs. It is also not clear what form any special inspection protocol might take, or whether a diplomatic agreement can bridge the gap between the two sides. The board meeting from 21 to 25 September is likely to be a key moment for further discussion.

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