Grossi Urges Iran to Allow Renewed Nuclear Inspections as IAEA Issues Damning New Reports

Latest Developments

Talks Ongoing for Resumed Inspections: The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told Reuters on September 3 that he hopes Iran will agree to renewed inspections of nuclear sites in the near future. “It’s not something that can go on for months on end,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said of Iran’s intransigence, adding that the agency is “trying to have another meeting [with Iran], perhaps within a few days now, here in Vienna, to conclude this and to start the inspections.” Although IAEA inspectors recently visited Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant in Bushehr, Tehran is still barring the agency from visiting all other sites, including those destroyed by Israel and the United States in airstrikes carried out in June. Tehran passed a law in June formally suspending IAEA monitoring. The IAEA also withdrew all its inspectors from Iran in July due to security threats from Tehran, while Austrian security services have provided the IAEA director general with 24/7 protection due to ongoing regime threats to his safety.
No Information on Location of Enriched Uranium: In two reports released the same day as Grossi’s interview and reviewed by FDD, the IAEA stated that it had “lost continuity of knowledge” regarding both the location and status of Iran’s stockpiles of both low enriched uranium (LEU) and highly enriched uranium (HEU), a development the agency said “urgently needs to be addressed.” The report further noted that Iran had increased its supply of near weapons-grade enriched uranium to 440.9 kilograms prior to the Israeli and U.S. strikes. The IAEA also reported that on June 12, Iran notified the agency it was planning a fourth enrichment facility, named the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant. Agency inspectors had intended to visit on June 13, but the inspection was canceled due to the conflict with Israel.
Security Incident Over Fordow Documents: The same IAEA reports stated that in August, Iran withdrew the authorization of two experienced IAEA inspectors over an incident in May when the pair accidentally transported papers to Vienna containing design information relating to the Fordow enrichment facility. Despite assurances from the IAEA that nothing had been compromised and the agency’s prompt return of the documents, Iran accused the IAEA of leaking the information to Israel and the United States in support of military strikes.

FDD Expert Response

“Iran is violating its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations by refusing IAEA inspections and monitoring at around a dozen remaining nuclear sites. The IAEA also officially reported a missing stockpile of over 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, which is enough material to fuel 11 nuclear weapons. Tehran must either come into compliance with its non-proliferation obligations and verifiably dismantle its nuclear weapons-relevant work or continue to incur sanctions and possibly additional U.S. and Israeli military strikes.” — Andrea Stricker, Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program Deputy Director and Research Fellow

“Tehran has a choice: It can open what’s left of its atomic program for inspections or continue to watch as those in Europe who supported the 2015 nuclear deal join the Trump administration’s maximum pressure sanctions campaign. Iran is presently hiding behind a recent parliamentary law to justify freezing and phasing out the IAEA. The regime has done this in the past to justify nuclear escalation.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow