IAEA Chief Confirms Inspections Will Proceed at Iranian Nuclear Sites Under US-Iran Deal

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog stated on Wednesday that inspectors will visit Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, a key component of the interim agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the war.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi made the firmest comment yet from the agency, which plays a crucial role in verifying the status of Iran's nuclear stockpile. Since the 2025 conflict between Israel and Iran, Tehran has blocked IAEA access to enrichment sites where Iran is believed to store highly enriched uranium, sufficient to potentially build up to ten nuclear weapons if it chooses to pursue them. Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is peaceful, though it is the only country without a weapons programme to enrich uranium to 60% purity.

Grossi spoke at a news conference at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. He acknowledged political statements from various parties but emphasised a fundamental point: a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by both the US and Iranian presidents explicitly states that nuclear activities and facilities will be supervised by the IAEA. “Obviously, to do that, we have to inspect. Whether this happens the day after tomorrow or in one week or in ten days, it’s important, but not essential. This is going to happen,” Grossi said.

The inspections are critical for the deal, which requires Iran to “downblend” its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to lower levels. The US and Iran gave contradictory remarks on Tuesday about whether these inspections would occur. On Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that UN inspectors were not scheduled to examine nuclear sites bombed by the US last year, contradicting comments made a day earlier by US Vice President JD Vance.

Since the 2025 conflict, the IAEA has been permitted to visit other nuclear sites in Iran, such as the Bushehr nuclear power plant. However, without access to enrichment sites, the IAEA cannot verify the status of Iran’s stockpile or the cascades of centrifuges used to enrich uranium. Both Iran and the IAEA state that Iran has not been enriching uranium recently, but nonproliferation experts worry that Iran may have moved stockpiles to undeclared locations.

The US and Iran agreed to a deal last week that calls for Tehran to dilute its enriched uranium stockpile and for the US to waive sanctions. Each side has 60 days to negotiate broader agreements. However, the uneasy ceasefire has been tested by Iran’s announcement that it closed a strategic strait again following fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon. Violence resumed in Lebanon on Tuesday but did not escalate further.