Iran has denied inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency access to nuclear facilities hit during a 12-day conflict involving Israel and the United States in June, deepening uncertainty over Tehran's enriched uranium stockpiles and heightening global concern.
According to a confidential IAEA report circulated among member states and reviewed by the Associated Press, the Vienna-based watchdog said it has not been allowed to visit any of Iran's four officially declared enrichment plants since the strikes in June.
In its latest assessment, the agency said it cannot verify whether Iran has halted uranium enrichment or determine the current volume of enriched uranium at the impacted sites. The report stressed that, without on-the-ground inspections, it is impossible to establish the "size, composition, or location" of Iran's nuclear reserves.
The IAEA specifically pointed to the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant, noting inspectors have been barred from the site for more than eight months, despite Iran previously sharing design details. As a result, the agency said it cannot confirm whether nuclear material is present there or whether the facility remains operational.
"The agency's loss of continuity of knowledge over all previously declared nuclear material at affected facilities in Iran needs to be addressed with the utmost urgency," the report said.
A key concern is the fate of more than 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, which inspectors last verified on June 10, shortly before Israel launched strikes on Iranian targets, triggering a 12-day war that briefly drew in the United States.
Following the attacks, Tehran scaled back cooperation with the IAEA and restricted inspector access to bombed sites, accusing the UN watchdog of bias and criticising it for failing to condemn the strikes.
Western powers led by the United States and supported by Israel, widely believed by experts to be the only nuclear-armed state in West Asia have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons capability. Tehran denies such ambitions, maintaining that its nuclear programme is solely for civilian energy purposes.
Iran had been enriching uranium to 60%, far exceeding the 3.67% cap set under the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal and edging closer to the 90% enrichment level typically required for weapons-grade material, according to the IAEA.
The developments come as Oman-mediated talks between Washington and Tehran resumed in Geneva on Thursday in what officials described as a last-ditch effort to prevent further escalation. However, early optimism was dampened after Iranian officials warned that the United States must abandon what they termed "excessive demands" if an agreement is to be reached.
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