The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has carried out almost no inspections inside Iran for more than six months, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Monday, according to Iran International.
The only exception was an inspection conducted at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in June.
According to Grossi, the agency withdrew its inspectors following the renewed attacks on Iran in late February, significantly reducing international oversight of the Iranian nuclear program.
The IAEA has also been unable for more than a year to maintain continuous knowledge of Iran's previously declared stockpiles of enriched uranium at nuclear facilities affected by the June 2025 strikes.
Those stockpiles include uranium enriched to 60% purity, a level significantly above that required for civilian nuclear power and approaching weapons-grade enrichment.
Grossi warned that the IAEA's inability to determine the status of the nuclear material or gain access to facilities where it had been held represents an urgent proliferation concern.
"The Agency's lack of information about this nuclear material and access to facilities to verify it is a matter of serious proliferation concern and needs to be addressed with the utmost urgency," he said.
Grossi also called for renewed diplomatic efforts surrounding Iran's nuclear program, saying a return to negotiations was "imperative."
He added that the IAEA is prepared to assist and support diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the issue.
On Thursday, Grossi confirmed that the IAEA has detected construction activity at Iran's heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain facility.
Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Grossi said that while IAEA inspectors have not entered the tunnel complex, remote imagery has shown indications of movement around the site.
On Wednesday, the IAEA Board of Governors referred Iran to the UN Security Council over Tehran's failure to cooperate with an investigation into uranium traces discovered at undeclared locations.
The move marks the first time in 20 years that the IAEA board has reported Iran to the Security Council over the issue.
Western officials have expressed suspicions that the uranium traces could indicate that Iran operated a secret nuclear weapons program until 2003. Iran has repeatedly denied seeking nuclear weapons and maintains that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes.
The IAEA board had previously declared Iran to be in noncompliance with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations in June 2025, citing Tehran's lack of cooperation with the agency's investigation.