IAEA Flags Gap in Iran Nuclear Oversight
Tehran blocked inspections of a declared enrichment plant and bombed sites following last year's military strikes.
By Aiko Petrov ·
A confidential report reveals a widening gap in the International Atomic Energy Agency's ability to verify Iran's nuclear activities.
The agency is increasingly concerned about the status of the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant. Iran declared this facility to the IAEA on June 12, 2025. Inspectors had scheduled their first visit for the following day. That schedule collapsed when a 12 day bombing campaign by Israel and the United States began on June 13, 2025. The conflict destroyed or badly damaged other enrichment sites and left the status of the Isfahan plant unknown.
The report states that the agency does not know the exact location of the plant. It also lacks information on whether the site contains nuclear material. Diplomats believe the facility is located within a tunnel network at Isfahan. A senior diplomat noted that both the whereabouts and the operational status of the plant remain unclear. The IAEA has not seen design plans for the facility.
Iran has prevented inspectors from returning to any nuclear facilities damaged during the June 2025 strikes. Tehran argues that monitoring talks cannot proceed while the country faces threats from military attacks. The country stated that the situation will not resolve until the root causes are addressed and the essential requirements for normal safeguards are restored. This stance creates a cycle where military tension prevents verification, and the lack of verification fuels further tension.
The IAEA report describes the lack of information about Iran's nuclear material as a matter of serious proliferation concern. The agency urges that this issue needs rectification with the utmost urgency. The report specifically asks Iran to clarify the status of its enrichment plants. It also requests details on the stock of highly enriched uranium, which includes material close to weapons grade levels.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has previously stated that the agency believes a significant amount of Iran's most highly enriched uranium is in the Isfahan tunnel complex. According to IAEA data, Iran maintains a stockpile of 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent purity. This level is technically one step away from the 90 per cent required for weapons. Grossi warned in an interview with The Associated Press last year that this stockpile could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs if it decided to weaponize its program.
Iran expressed concern in a letter to the IAEA regarding a recent U.S. offer of a reward of up to 20 million U.S. dollars for information on its nuclear program. Tehran stressed the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of IAEA activities. The country argued that information on its nuclear program must not be disclosed, misused, or exploited. The IAEA responded by encouraging Iran to consider technical and gradual measures to allow for the return of inspectors.
The only facility inspected by the IAEA in Iran since last June is the Bushehr nuclear power plant. Inspectors visited that site from September 12 to 15, 2025. The reactor at Bushehr currently uses uranium from Russia enriched to 4.5 per cent. This is a low level necessary for power generation in such plants. The last time inspectors visited other sites was before the June 2025 strikes.
The U.S. and Israel launched further military strikes against Iran on February 28, 2026. Those attacks killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials. The strikes targeted Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defence systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields. Iran has long insisted its program is peaceful, but the IAEA and Western nations say Tehran had an organized nuclear weapons program up until 2003. Such highly enriched nuclear material should normally be verified every month according to IAEA guidelines.
