IAEA unable to verify Iran’s uranium stockpile after losing access to nuclear sites

The agency last estimated Iran held over 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The UN nuclear watchdog warned Friday that it remains unable to determine the whereabouts or condition of an Iranian uranium-enrichment facility declared last year, raising further concerns about its inability to monitor Tehran’s nuclear activities.

According to a confidential International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report obtained by Reuters, the agency is “increasingly concerned” about the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant (IFEP), which has never been inspected.

Iran notified the IAEA of the facility on June 12, 2025, one day before inspectors were scheduled to visit. A bombing campaign began on June 13, preventing the inspection.

Although diplomats suspect the plant lies within a network of underground tunnels in Isfahan that was targeted during the strikes, its precise location remains unconfirmed. A senior diplomat said its current condition was also unknown.

Satellite images have recorded vehicle movements near the tunnel complex, where Iran stores uranium enriched to 60% purity.

However, inspectors cannot establish whether nuclear material is currently held inside IFEP.

The uncertainty extends beyond Isfahan. Since the June 2025 conflict and strikes, the IAEA has been denied access to virtually all of Iran’s declared nuclear facilities, apart from the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

That loss of access has prevented inspectors from determining how much enriched uranium Iran currently possesses or where it is stored.

The agency previously estimated that Tehran held more than 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, a level approaching weapons-grade purity.

In its latest report, the IAEA pressed Iran to disclose the condition of its enrichment facilities, account for its highly enriched uranium and permit inspections at sites damaged during the bombing campaign.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has called for “incremental steps” to restore inspections and reestablish basic oversight.

The dispute prompted further international action in September 2026, when the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution referring Iran’s nuclear file to the UN Security Council over its continued failure to meet safeguards obligations.