IAEA warns over Iran nuclear access as Western powers push UN referral

The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned that it still cannot verify Iran's declared nuclear material more than a year after losing access to key facilities. The warning comes as France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States press for a draft resolution that would send the Iran file back to the UN Security Council. The move would mark a significant escalation in the long-running dispute over Iran's nuclear programme.

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IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told the agency's Board of Governors on Monday that Tehran had provided no information during the latest reporting period on the status of its declared nuclear material or facilities. He said inspectors had been unable to carry out on-site verification, leaving the agency without continuity of knowledge over previously declared stocks of uranium enriched to as much as 60 percent. Grossi described the situation as a proliferation concern that needs to be addressed with urgency.

The agency's warning is linked to facilities hit in US and Israeli attacks in June 2025, after which inspectors lost access. According to the row, the proposed resolution would ask Grossi to transmit the board's decision, previous board resolutions and his latest report to the Security Council and the General Assembly. It would also call on Iran to provide the information and access required by inspectors.

Iran has rejected the push and says its nuclear programme is peaceful. The issue matters because the Security Council referral would return the dispute to the UN's top body for the first time in two decades, raising the diplomatic stakes around Iran's nuclear activities. The draft is being pursued by the four Western powers at a time when the agency says it cannot independently confirm the status of material that has already been declared.

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That leaves a major gap in international oversight of a programme that has long been central to tensions between Iran and Western governments. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Western governments were again turning to the IAEA after failing to achieve their objectives elsewhere. He argued that the restrictions on inspectors were a consequence of the June 2025 attacks and said it was unreasonable to blame Tehran for the resulting loss of access.

Baghaei also warned that Iran would take "necessary measures" if the Western powers pursue the resolution. The draft has not yet been formally submitted to the 35-member board, and negotiations over its wording are continuing. Even if it is approved, the next steps would depend on how the board and the Security Council respond.

What remains unclear is whether enough support will emerge for the referral and how Iran would react if the resolution advances further.

#Iran #IAEA #UNSecurityCouncil #nuclearprogramme #RafaelGrossi

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