VIENNA, Austria — The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has urged Iran to take gradual, practical steps that would allow international inspectors to return to key nuclear facilities, warning that the prolonged lack of access is creating an increasingly serious gap in oversight. Tehran has responded that inspections cannot resume under the current security conditions, citing the threat of further military attacks against the country and its nuclear infrastructure.

AI-generated illustrative view of a nuclear research facility in Iran
AI-generated illustration. Not an actual photograph of an Iranian nuclear facility.

The latest exchange, detailed in a confidential report circulated to member states on Friday, November 13, places the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran at odds over how nuclear safeguards can be restored after military strikes and months of restricted access. The report was reviewed by the Associated Press, while Reuters separately reported the agency’s growing concern about an Iranian enrichment facility at Isfahan.

IAEA Calls For Gradual Steps To Restore Access

In its report, the IAEA said it was ready to resume safeguards activities in Iran at short notice and encouraged Tehran to consider technical and incremental measures that could make inspectors’ return possible. The agency’s position is that a phased process could help restore routine verification while creating conditions for wider confidence-building efforts.

The watchdog has stressed that it needs access not simply to conduct routine visits, but to verify the location, condition and accounting of nuclear material. Without those checks, it cannot provide the same level of assurance about Iran’s declared nuclear programme that safeguards inspections are designed to establish.

Tehran Says Security Conditions Must Change

Iran told the agency that discussions on restoring inspections cannot proceed while the country faces what it described as persistent, explicit and public threats of further armed attacks, particularly against nuclear facilities. Tehran argued that normal safeguards implementation requires the underlying causes of the current crisis to be addressed and essential security conditions to be restored.

At the same time, Iran reaffirmed its stated commitment to resume full implementation of its safeguards obligations when the relevant legal and practical conditions permit. That position leaves room for a possible return to inspections, but no timetable or agreed mechanism has been announced.

Iran has also raised concerns about the confidentiality of information connected to its nuclear programme, including following a recent United States offer of a reward of up to $20 million for information. Tehran has argued that sensitive information gathered through monitoring must not be disclosed, misused or exploited.

Isfahan Facility Raises Particular Concern

One of the agency’s most pressing concerns involves the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant, a facility Iran declared in June 2025. The IAEA says it has not been able to establish the site’s exact location, its safeguards status or whether nuclear material is present there. An inspection planned for June 13, 2025, did not take place after the outbreak of the 12-day conflict and strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

The uncertainty is significant because inspectors cannot independently verify the facility’s design information or determine whether nuclear material has been introduced. Reuters reported on Friday that the agency wants Iran to provide information about the plant and permit access to sites affected by the earlier attacks.

Uranium Stockpile Remains Difficult To Verify

The inspection dispute also concerns Iran’s reported stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity. According to figures cited in the latest reporting on the IAEA assessment, the agency’s last verified estimate was 440.9 kilograms. Uranium enriched to 60% is far above the level typically used in civilian nuclear power generation, although it is still below the roughly 90% enrichment level generally associated with weapons-grade material.

The key issue for inspectors is not simply the quantity previously reported, but whether the agency can confirm where the material is now and whether it remains accounted for. Since the June 2025 strikes, the IAEA has been unable to verify the status of the stockpile at the affected locations. The agency’s inability to account for nuclear material does not, by itself, establish that the material has been diverted or that Iran has built a nuclear weapon.

Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is peaceful and denies seeking to develop nuclear weapons. The IAEA’s concern is centred on verification: without access and reliable information, it cannot independently confirm that all declared nuclear material and activities remain within the scope of peaceful use.

Bushehr Visit Shows Limited Inspection Access

There has been at least one recent exception to the wider restrictions. The IAEA inspected the Bushehr nuclear power plant in September, with the visit reported to have taken place from September 12 to 15. However, access to Bushehr does not resolve the agency’s concerns about other facilities, particularly sites affected by military strikes and the Isfahan enrichment plant.

The IAEA’s latest report is expected to inform discussions among its Board of Governors next week. Those deliberations could increase diplomatic pressure on Tehran, but a practical inspection arrangement would likely require agreement on access procedures, safety guarantees and the handling of sensitive information.

Why The Inspection Dispute Matters

The standoff has consequences beyond the technical work of nuclear inspectors. Independent verification is one of the principal tools available to the international community for assessing whether nuclear material is being used for declared purposes. When inspections are interrupted, uncertainty grows, making diplomacy more difficult and increasing the risk that governments will draw sharply different conclusions from incomplete information.

For Iran, allowing inspectors to return while it says its facilities and personnel remain exposed to security threats is a politically and operationally sensitive issue. For the IAEA, prolonged restrictions limit its ability to fulfil its safeguards mandate. The immediate challenge is therefore to find workable arrangements that address safety concerns without leaving nuclear material and facilities outside effective verification.

For now, neither side has announced a breakthrough. The agency is pressing for incremental access, while Tehran says normal inspections depend on changes to the security environment. Whether technical negotiations can bridge that divide will be closely watched as the IAEA Board of Governors prepares to consider the latest report.

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