IAEA Warns of Lost Oversight as Iran Blocks Access to Bombed Nuclear Sites

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – United Nations nuclear inspectors are sounding alarms after Iran continued blocking access to key nuclear facilities bombed in June by the United States and Israel, leaving the world uncertain about the fate of Tehran’s near-weapons-grade uranium stockpile. According to confidential reports obtained by multiple outlets, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not verified Iran’s highly enriched uranium inventory since mid-June, when coordinated strikes destroyed major parts of Iran’s enrichment infrastructure.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the agency has “lost continuity of knowledge” regarding Iran’s 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60% purity—material that, if further enriched, could yield up to ten nuclear bombs. He warned that verification is now “long overdue,” and that Iran’s refusal to submit mandatory reports under the Non-Proliferation Treaty prevents inspectors from confirming whether the material remains in peaceful use.

Iran has granted access only to undamaged sites such as the Bushehr power plant and the Tehran research reactor, but continues to block inspectors from all seven bombed facilities, including parts of Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Satellite imagery shows renewed activity at the damaged sites, though it remains unclear whether this reflects cleanup efforts or the possible relocation of uranium inventories. Diplomats say that containment vessels holding enriched uranium may have been destroyed in the strikes, potentially scattering material and complicating future verification.

A short-lived September agreement negotiated in Cairo between Grossi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi allowed limited inspections, but Iran canceled the deal after the UN Security Council reimposed sanctions through the snapback mechanism. Tehran insists its nuclear program remains peaceful and says it will return to talks only if guaranteed it will not be attacked again.

Even if Iran restored full access immediately, the IAEA says it could take years to reestablish confidence in the status and location of Iran’s nuclear materials. Grossi emphasized that until full cooperation resumes, the agency cannot assure the world that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.

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