UN nuclear watchdog urges Iran to reopen facilities for inspection

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 13 Nov, 18:58 · Archive

The UN nuclear watchdog is calling on Iran to allow inspections of its nuclear facilities, which Tehran has restricted since US and Israeli strikes in June 2025.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has called on Iran to allow UN nuclear inspectors to resume their work, warning that the lack of access to Iranian atomic sites is a matter of serious proliferation concern requiring urgent action. Iran has severely restricted IAEA inspections since US and Israeli air strikes on its nuclear facilities in June 2025.

The IAEA's particular concern centres on the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant, an underground facility that Iran announced on 12 June 2025, a day before Israeli strikes began. The agency has never been permitted to inspect the plant and does not know its exact location, whether it contains nuclear material, or its status under international safeguards rules. The watchdog noted in its latest report that this lack of information needs to be rectified with utmost urgency.

Since the June 2025 attacks, Iran has severely limited inspectors' access to all its nuclear sites, preventing the IAEA from verifying its enriched uranium stockpile. Before the strikes, Iran had accumulated approximately 441 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity, close to weapons grade. The IAEA believes much of this highly enriched uranium was stored at the Isfahan complex, parts of which suffered extensive damage in the strikes.

Tehran has rejected the IAEA's requests for inspection access, stating that the security situation created by what it calls acts of aggression makes normal implementation of safeguards legally untenable and materially impracticable. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has said the country remains committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has urged Iran to consider limited technical measures that could enable inspection visits and help restore routine monitoring.

How it is being reported

• U.N. watchdog agency pushes for access to key Iran nuclear siteAs Trump signals he may let the Iran war fester, the U.N. nuclear agency is "increasingly concerned" about access to a key uranium facility, according to a leaked report.CBS News · 13 Nov, 13:02
• UN watchdog 'increasingly concerned' over Iran nuclear siteIt says it has never been able to inspect a uranium enrichment plant at Isfahan which Iran announced over a year ago.BBC News · 13 Nov, 12:28
• UN watchdog calls on Iran to reopen nuclear facilities to inspectionIAEA says it cannot verify whether an underground Iranian enrichment plant contains nuclear material.Al Jazeera · 13 Nov, 11:51

In this story: Iran · International Atomic Energy Agency · United States · Israel · Isfahan · Rafael Grossi

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