UN Nuclear Watchdog Sounds Alarm Over Urgent Need for Access to Iranian Nuclear Sites Amid Stalled Inspections

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi speaks during a news conference at United Nations headquarters [File: Jason DeCrow/AP]. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called for “utmost urgency” in addressing the ongoing lack of access to Iran’s nuclear sites.

In a quarterly report reviewed by news agencies on Tuesday, the United Nations nuclear watchdog stated that the “lack of information about this nuclear material and access to facilities to verify it is a matter of proliferation concern.” The US has previously claimed that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon—an ambition continuously denied by Tehran—served as the motivation for the war launched in March. Meanwhile, Tehran has successfully shifted the focus of hostilities toward the control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway.

The IAEA report specifically highlighted deep concerns over restricted access to the Isfahan plant, a facility targeted multiple times by the US and Israel over the past year. In the document, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi voiced his “conviction that the long-standing problems and recurrent crises surrounding these issues must be resolved through a long-lasting, verifiable diplomatic agreement.”

Conversely, Iran maintains that access to sites impacted by military action requires special arrangements. Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, stated on August 26 that the IAEA “cannot seek to inspect these centres until it develops specific criteria and protocols for inspecting sites targeted by military attacks.”

Tehran initially suspended cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog following US and Israeli attacks in June 2025, which included strikes on nuclear installations, before signaling in September 2025 that UN inspectors would be permitted to return. However, access to the bombed nuclear sites has not yet been granted.

Despite assertions made last year by US President Donald Trump claiming the US had destroyed the facilities and crippled Tehran’s nuclear programme, Iran’s stores of enriched uranium remain unaccounted for. While Tehran consistently denies any military ambitions linked to its nuclear programme and insists on its right to civilian technology, the IAEA noted in past reports that Iran's uranium enrichment levels remain well above civilian requirements, though still below weapons-grade standards. This latest report is scheduled for discussion at the IAEA board of governors meeting from September 21-25.