UN nuclear chief says inspectors will visit Iranian sites as part of war deal
In recent days, there has been a dispute between the United States and Iran over the issue of UN nuclear inspectors visiting the country.
On Monday, following talks in Switzerland with Iran’s chief negotiator, US Vice President JD Vance said Iran “has agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back to their country”.
The next day, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said there were “no detailed discussions” and that Iran had no plans to give IAEA inspectors access to the nuclear facilities that the US blew up during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June 2025.
US President Donald Trump then dismissed Iran’s “protests and false statements to the contrary”, saying the country had “absolutely agreed” to the inspection.
“There is a war or words here. Some say ‘yes’, others say ‘no’,” said an IAEA official on Wednesday. “I understand political statements. They are part of the truth.
“But what is important… is that there is a cooperation agreement signed by both presidents,” he added. “[It] he clearly states that the nuclear activities to be carried out, in terms of nuclear material, facilities, will be monitored by the IAEA, in bold letters. This will happen.”
Grossi said that this test will be carried out in collaboration and cooperation with the Iranian government. “Whether this happens the next day, or in one week, or in 10 days, it’s important but not important.”
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi appeared to back down from the comments.
He wrote in X that access to Iran’s damaged nuclear facilities and its nuclear materials will be resolved only within the framework of the final agreement with the US and after practical steps are taken to remove all sanctions.
“The noise of the media cannot be used to suppress the facts,” he added.
Under the 14-point memorandum of understanding, the US and Iran committed to negotiating a final deal within 60 days.
It says they “agreed to resolve the disposal of the stockpile, following a mutually agreed upon method… in a small way that should be consolidated on the ground under the supervision of the IAEA”.
The IAEA said in a recent report, outside that its inspectors were allowed to visit Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant earlier this month, but had not been given access to the sensitive nuclear facilities that were bombed last June.
The watchdog said that meant it could not provide any information on the current size, composition or location of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, or whether Iran had halted all enrichment activities. Most of the material is believed to be inside underground tunnels in the Isfahan area.
Enriched uranium can be used to make reactor fuel but also nuclear weapons.
Before the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran on 28 February, the IAEA reported that Iran had 440kg (970 lbs) of uranium enriched to 60% purity, close to weapons grade. That would theoretically be enough, if enriched to 90%, for up to 10 bombs.
Iran maintains that its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful and that it will never seek to build or acquire nuclear weapons.
Under the 2015 agreement with the US and five other world powers, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities and allow continuous and strict monitoring by IAEA inspectors in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.
However, Trump abandoned the deal during his first term in 2018, saying it did little to stop the path to the bomb, and reinstated US sanctions.
Iran retaliated by increasingly violating the deal’s restrictions, particularly those related to uranium enrichment.
