IAEA urges Iran to restore access to nuclear sites after limited inspections

The United Nations nuclear watchdog has called on Iran to allow inspectors back into its nuclear facilities after months of restricted access. In a report circulated to member states on Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said it needs to resume safeguards work in Iran to monitor the country's nuclear programme. Tehran has said inspections cannot restart in the current security situation.

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The agency said Iran has allowed only very limited inspections since attacks on its nuclear facilities by the United States and Israel in June 2025. It said the lack of information about Iran's atomic sites and nuclear material is a matter of proliferation concern that must be addressed urgently. The watchdog also said it is fully prepared to resume its safeguards activities in Iran at short notice.

Particular concern was raised over an underground uranium-enrichment plant near Isfahan in central Iran. Iran declared the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant in 2025, but the agency said it has not been allowed to inspect the site. Inspectors still do not know the plant's precise location, whether it contains nuclear material, or its status under international monitoring rules.

The report did not say that enrichment is taking place there. The dispute matters because the agency has been unable to verify the status of Iran's stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium since the bombing of nuclear facilities last year. That gap in monitoring has increased concern among member states about transparency and the risk of further escalation.

The IAEA's role is to verify that nuclear material is not diverted from peaceful use, making access to sites central to its mandate. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has urged Iran to consider limited technical measures that could make inspection visits possible and help restore routine monitoring. Iran's foreign ministry has said the country remains committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

At the same time, Tehran has blamed the US and Israeli attacks for limiting cooperation with the agency. The current standoff follows the withdrawal of IAEA inspectors for safety reasons after the strikes, followed by an Iranian law suspending cooperation. That sequence has left the agency with less visibility over Iran's nuclear activities than it had before the attacks.

The report suggests the issue is now centred not only on access, but also on whether practical arrangements can be found to restart inspections without worsening security concerns. What remains unclear is when, or whether, Iran will permit inspectors to return to the affected sites. The agency has not confirmed the status of the Isfahan facility, and it says it still lacks key information about Iran's nuclear material.

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