Iran has told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that discussions on restoring nuclear inspections cannot move forward as long as the country faces threats of military attacks, particularly against its nuclear facilities.The position was conveyed in a communication to the UN nuclear watchdog this month, according to a confidential report circulated among member states on Friday news agency The Associated Press reported.Tehran said the situation would remain unresolved “until the root causes of the present situation are addressed and the essential requirements for normal safeguards implementation are restored”.It cited what it described as “a series of persistent, explicit, and public threats by the President of the United States of America … to commit further acts of armed aggression” against Iran, especially targeting its nuclear infrastructure.The IAEA has been unable to carry out inspections at several Iranian nuclear facilities damaged in Israeli and US strikes during the 12-day war in June 2025. It has also not been able to verify the condition of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium since the attacks.Tehran, however, reiterated its “firm commitment to resume full implementation of its safeguards obligations as soon as the relevant legal and actual conditions permit it.”The watchdog warned that the absence of information about Iran’s nuclear facilities and materials was “a matter of proliferation concern” that “needs to be rectified with the utmost urgency”.It also said it was “fully prepared to resume its safeguards activities in Iran at short notice” and urged Tehran to consider “technical and gradual measures” to facilitate the return of inspectors.Bushehr nuclear power plant remains the only Iranian facility inspected by the IAEA since June last year. Inspectors visited the site between September 12 and 15. The reactor currently operational there uses Russian-supplied uranium enriched to 4.5%, a level used for civilian nuclear power generation.
IAEA raises concern over Isfahan facility
The report also flagged concerns about the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant, a facility Iran informed the IAEA about in June last year, shortly before the US-Israeli strikes began. Inspectors were scheduled to visit the site on the day the attacks started but had to call off the inspection. The agency said it “does not know” the facility’s “exact location or whether it contains nuclear material”.Iran also raised objections over a recent US offer of a reward of up to $20 million for information about its nuclear programme. In a letter to the IAEA, Tehran stressed the need to protect the “confidentiality” of the agency’s work and ensure that information relating to its nuclear activities was not “disclosed, misused or exploited”.The lack of access has added to concerns over Iran’s uranium stockpile. According to the IAEA, Tehran holds 440.9 kg (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a level considerably higher than what is required for civilian nuclear power generation and technically closer to the 90% enrichment generally associated with weapons-grade material.IAEA director general Rafael Grossi had earlier warned in an interview with AP that the stockpile could potentially provide enough material for as many as 10 nuclear bombs if Iran chose to weaponise its programme. However, he clarified that this did not mean the country possessed such weapons. Under IAEA guidelines, uranium enriched to such high levels should normally be verified every month.The US and Israel launched a 12-day military campaign against Iran in June 2025, striking several nuclear facilities and leaving the extent of the damage unclear. They carried out another round of attacks on February 28, targeting military infrastructure, including Revolutionary Guard command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields. The strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior officials.Tehran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is intended for peaceful purposes. However, the IAEA and Western countries have said Iran operated an organised nuclear weapons programme until 2003.
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