UN watchdog calls on Iran to reopen nuclear facilities to inspection

The International Atomic Energy Agency has urged Iran to allow it to resume inspections of its nuclear facilities in a report circulated among member states on Friday. The watchdog insists the move is essential to monitor the Iranian nuclear program effectively.

Iran has permitted only limited IAEA inspections since the United States and Israel launched attacks on the country's nuclear facilities in June 2025. Tehran has told the organization that resuming inspections is not possible amid the current security situation.

Proliferation Concern

The IAEA stated that the lack of information about Iran's atomic sites and nuclear material is "a matter of proliferation concern" that "needs to be rectified with the utmost urgency." The watchdog specifically highlighted concerns about an underground uranium-enrichment plant near Isfahan that Iran has not permitted inspectors to access.

Inspectors still do not know the plant's precise location, whether it holds nuclear material, or its status under international monitoring rules. The report did not establish that uranium enrichment is taking place there.

Iran's Position

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei affirmed Iran's commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but blamed US and Israeli attacks for limiting cooperation with the IAEA. Since the bombing of nuclear facilities last year, the watchdog has been unable to verify the status of Iran's stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium.

The issue would not be resolved "until the root causes of the present situation are addressed and the essential requirements for normal safeguards implementation are restored," the report added.