Published on: 2026-10-27
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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October 27, 2026 Peace and Security
The International Atomic Energy Agency cannot confirm that nuclear materials under IAEA safeguards in Iran have not been redirected. The agency’s Director General Rafael Grossi has urged Tehran to provide inspectors with the necessary information and access so they can verify the status of previously declared materials.
Speaking on Tuesday at the UN Security Council, Grossi stated that the IAEA continues to seek clarifications from Iran on unresolved safeguards issues – they have remained open for over five years. Normal inspection activities in the country have not resumed, although inspectors were ready to return several months ago.
In June 2025, after the start of military strikes, the IAEA was unable to continue inspections in Iran and by the end of the month withdrew all inspectors from there due to safety concerns. Grossi noted that the necessary preparatory technical work related to various mediation efforts has progressed. The foundations for a diplomatic agreement that would allow inspectors to return, according to him, have already been established. Any decision regarding Iran’s nuclear program must ensure the involvement of the IAEA as the verifying body: without this, the decision will not lead to long-term results.
Grossi recalled the agreement he signed with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on September 9, 2025, with the assistance of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. The document, called the Cairo Agreement, outlines practical steps to implement guarantees following the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Returning to this agreement could help address practical inspection issues, particularly at the sites affected by the strikes and regarding the nuclear materials associated with them.
Among such facilities, Grossi named the uranium enrichment plant in Fordow, the pilot and industrial plants in Natanz, several facilities in the Isfahan complex, and the heavy-water research reactor in Khondab. According to him, Iran did not provide the requested information and access necessary to verify the previously declared nuclear materials — both at the sites affected by strikes and at the others.
The only exception is the Bushehr nuclear power plant, where IAEA inspectors are conducting verification activities. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has been cooperating constructively with the agency to arrange the delivery of equipment needed to inspect spent fuel before its transfer to the new dry storage. The transfer is expected early next year.
Grossi emphasized that legal obligations under no circumstances can be suspended unilaterally. At the same time, the agency is ready to take into account Iran’s legitimate security concerns.
The agency is particularly concerned about nuclear material previously declared by Iran, including 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium. The IAEA is seeking the necessary information and inspector access from Tehran to verify the condition of this material.
Grossi separately pointed to the need for access to the uranium enrichment plant in Isfahan. Iran declared this facility shortly before the military strikes in June 2025 and agreed to allow inspectors. The start of the strikes prevented their visit, and since then Iran has not responded to repeated IAEA requests.
The Agency continues to monitor activities at Iran’s declared nuclear sites. Since June 2025, the IAEA has not detected attempts to repair or restore facilities damaged during the 2025 and 2026 military strikes. However, monitoring does not replace access for verifying the actual situation on the ground.
Grossi called on Iran to clarify the remaining issues without further delay and to consider gradual technical measures that would allow the inspectors to return. “Only diplomacy, backed by IAEA inspections, can in the long term prevent the spread of nuclear weapons – in Iran and worldwide,” he said.
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