Iran continues to deny access to nuclear sites bombed by Israel and the United States in June, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealed in a confidential report distributed Wednesday to member states and quoted by Reuters.
According to the report, Iran has not allowed inspectors into any of the seven damaged facilities and has failed to provide a detailed account of its enriched uranium stockpile, despite being obligated to do so under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The IAEA stated that verification of the material is “long overdue.”
The agency estimates that prior to the attacks, Iran possessed 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity - just short of weapons-grade. If further enriched, that quantity could yield material for ten nuclear bombs.
“The Agency’s lack of access to this nuclear material in Iran for five months means that its verification is long overdue,” the report said, according to Reuters. It warned that the loss of “continuity of knowledge” regarding Iran’s uranium stockpile makes restoring a full picture extremely difficult.
The IAEA has only inspected some of the 13 facilities that were unaffected by the strikes. Iran had informed the agency shortly before the attacks that it was establishing a new enrichment site in Isfahan, but inspectors have not been allowed to visit it. The report notes that the agency does not know the exact location of the plant, its status, or whether it contains nuclear material.
Diplomatic sources believe much of the enriched uranium was stored at a deeply buried site in Isfahan, where entrance tunnels were hit but damage appears limited.
An agreement reached in Cairo in September was intended to resume inspections, but Iran now claims the deal is void. The IAEA reiterated that verifying the inventories of declared nuclear material is critical to prevent potential diversion from peaceful use.
Western powers maintain there is no civilian justification for Iran’s enrichment to such high levels. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, and the IAEA says it has no credible evidence of a coordinated weapons initiative.
Despite the impasse, both Washington and Tehran say they remain open to the possibility of a future nuclear agreement.
Five rounds of negotiations, mediated by Oman, were held prior to the conflict, but major gaps remain - particularly over uranium enrichment on Iranian soil. The US demands enrichment be cut to zero to prevent weaponisation, a condition Iran has rejected.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made clear last week that cooperation between Tehran and Washington is impossible so long as the United States continues to support Israel, maintain military bases, and interfere in the region.
“The Americans sometimes say they would like to cooperate with Iran. Cooperation with Iran is not possible as long as the US continues to support the accursed Zionist regime, maintains military bases, and interferes in the region,” Khamenei said.