Vienna: In a development that has heightened global tensions, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has revealed its inability to confirm whether Iran has halted uranium enrichment activities.
A confidential report dispatched to member nations underscores the agency’s mounting concerns, stemming from Tehran’s refusal to grant access to damaged nuclear facilities following a brief but intense 12-day conflict in June 2025.
The IAEA’s scrutiny focuses on four key enrichment sites, where inspectors have been barred since the attacks, allegedly involving Israeli and US strikes. Without on-ground verification, the agency cannot ascertain the quantity, purity, or storage of Iran’s uranium reserves. Current estimates peg the stockpile at 440.9 kilograms enriched to 60 per cent purity, a level alarmingly close to the 90 per cent threshold for weapons-grade material.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi recently cautioned that Iran’s holdings could theoretically produce enough fissile material for up to 10 nuclear bombs if pursued aggressively. “This does not mean Iran currently has nuclear weapons,” Grossi clarified, emphasising their hypothetical nature amid broken monitoring protocols. IAEA regulations mandate monthly inspections for such high-enrichment uranium, but the ongoing denial has severed the information chain, labelling it a “serious concern”.
Satellite imagery adds to the intrigue, revealing persistent vehicle movements near the Isfahan facility’s tunnel entrance, located 350 kilometres southeast of Tehran. Similar activities are noted at Natanz and Fordow, though unconfirmed without direct access. Even the under-construction Karun nuclear plant, devoid of materials, remains off-limits.
This opacity fuels international suspense, as Iran’s nuclear programme — long a flashpoint — evades transparent oversight, potentially reshaping Middle Eastern geopolitics.