United Nations inspectors have warned that Iran’s decision to restrict international oversight has resulted in a serious loss of information about its nuclear activities. The warning was detailed in two confidential reports released after Israeli and US strikes targeted Iranian facilities in June.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), officials have been unable to confirm the size of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile since mid-June. Because Tehran has not cooperated with inspectors, European nations have referred the matter back to the UN Security Council, calling for the reimposition of sanctions.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stated that the agency has lost “continuity of knowledge” regarding Iran’s current nuclear material inventory. Without renewed access, the agency cannot provide any reliable assurances about the status of Iran’s nuclear program.
Satellite imagery indicates that Israeli and US attacks destroyed parts of Iran’s visible nuclear operations but also erased decades of inspector access to the country’s atomic infrastructure. For the first time since enrichment began in 2006, the IAEA cannot account for precise changes in Iran’s uranium reserves. The last verified records of near-weapons-grade uranium date back to just before the June 13 strikes.
Next week, the IAEA’s board of governors will meet in Vienna for a round of high-level negotiations. Iran has until September 27 to reach an agreement, or UN sanctions will automatically return, including a suspension of uranium enrichment and restrictions on ballistic missile development.
In its latest assessment, the agency revised its last verified estimate of highly enriched uranium in Iran upward by 8 percent, to 441 kilograms — an amount roughly sufficient for 10 nuclear weapons. Concerns over Iran’s atomic activities have persisted for decades, often unsettling global oil markets and fueling tensions with Western nations.
Tehran continues to deny seeking nuclear weapons, insisting that it accelerated uranium enrichment only in response to former US President Donald Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement and the reimposition of sanctions.
The June airstrikes, ordered by Trump, destroyed parts of Iran’s nuclear sites and immediately derailed talks between Tehran and Washington. Iranian officials have since declared that they will not re-enter negotiations unless assurances are given that such attacks will not be repeated.