Share and Follow
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has raised significant concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear activities. In its latest report, the agency highlighted its inability to verify whether Iran has halted all enrichment-related operations or determine the size of Iran’s uranium reserves at its nuclear sites.
On Friday, the IAEA expressed alarm over its continued lack of access to Iran’s four declared enrichment facilities. This limitation has left the agency unable to provide any updates on the current size, composition, or location of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.
The report emphasized the critical need to address this “loss of continuity of knowledge” with the utmost urgency to ensure transparency and accountability.
While Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, the IAEA and Western countries have pointed out that Tehran had an organized nuclear weapons program until 2003.
In light of these developments, the United States is actively pursuing a deal aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions and preventing the country from developing nuclear weapons.
Highly enriched material should be verified regularly
The IAEA reported that Iran had informed the agency in a letter dated February 2 that normal safeguards were “legally untenable and materially impracticable,” as a result of threats and “acts of aggression”.
The confidential report also said on Friday that Iran did provide access to IAEA inspectors “to each of the unaffected nuclear facilities at least once” since June 2025, with the exception of a power plant at Karun that is under construction.
Iran is legally obliged to cooperate with the IAEA under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, but suspended all cooperation after the war with Israel.
According to the IAEA, Iran maintains a stockpile of 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent.
That stockpile could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponise its program, IAEA director general Rafael Grossi warned in a recent interview with the AP. He added that it doesn’t mean that Iran has such a weapon.
Such highly enriched nuclear material should normally be verified every month, according to the IAEA’s guidelines.
IAEA observes activity around nuclear sites
In the absence of direct access to the nuclear sites, the IAEA turned to commercially available satellite imagery.
Observation of the Isfahan facility, some 350 kilometres southeast of Tehran, showed “regular vehicular activity” around the entrance to a tunnel complex used to store enriched material, the report said.
Both Israel and Iran struck the Isfahan site in June.
The IAEA said it also observed activity at the enrichment sites in Natanz and Fordow, but added that “without access to these facilities it is not possible for the Agency to confirm the nature and the purpose of the activities.”
IAEA joined Geneva talks between Iran and US
The IAEA reported on Friday that Grossi attended negotiations between the US and Iran on February 17 and February 26 in Geneva at which he “provided advice on issues relevant to the verification of Iran’s nuclear program”.
The report said that those negotiations are “ongoing.”
Thursday’s talks, the third round this year under Omani mediation, ended without a deal, leaving the danger of another Mideast war on the table as the US has gathered a massive fleet of aircraft and warships in the region.
An Omani official said lower-level technical talks would continue next week in Vienna, the home of the IAEA. The agency is likely to be critical in any deal.
Iran says it is not pursuing weapons and has so far resisted demands that it halt uranium enrichment on its soil or hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Similar talks last year between the US and Iran about Iran’s nuclear program broke down after the start of the war in June. Before then, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60 per cent purity.
NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.