The United Nations' nuclear watchdog has expressed growing alarm over a nuclear facility in Iran that it has been unable to inspect, raising serious concerns about the country's nuclear activities.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it is "increasingly concerned" about the site, which Iran announced it would build in the city of Isfahan just a day before Israel launched attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities last June. The United States joined the strikes later that month.
According to a report seen by news agencies, the IAEA does not know the exact location of the facility or whether it contains nuclear material. This lack of information has heightened fears about the possible proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Access Restricted
Since the latest conflict began, Iran has limited the access of IAEA inspectors to its nuclear sites, preventing the agency from verifying its enriched uranium stockpile. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran had agreed to cap its enriched uranium stockpile at 300kg and enrichment at 3.67% purity. However, it has since exceeded both limits.
Before the June 2025 strikes, Iran had accumulated an estimated 441kg of uranium enriched to 60%, which is close to weapons grade. The nuclear complex at Isfahan suffered extensive damage in the US and Israeli strikes, particularly above ground. The condition of its underground facilities remains unclear.
The IAEA believes that much of Iran's highly enriched uranium was stored at the Isfahan site. In its latest report, the agency warned: "The Agency's lack of information about Iran's nuclear material and access to facilities to verify it is a matter of serious proliferation concern... and needs to be rectified with the utmost urgency."
Background to the Standoff
Iran announced plans for the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant (IFEP) on 12 June 2025, shortly after an IAEA resolution declared that Iran had failed to meet its nuclear safeguards obligations. Initially, Iran agreed to allow inspectors to visit the facility, but the inspection was cancelled after Israel launched attacks the following day.
The IAEA's latest appeal comes almost a year after it made a similar call to Iran. At that time, the agency said it had only inspected some of the 13 nuclear facilities that were "unaffected" by the attacks and none of the seven that were affected.
The United States and Israel have stated that they attacked Iran's nuclear sites to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, a goal that Iran has consistently denied pursuing. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful civilian purposes only.
The IAEA's concerns underscore the fragile state of nuclear oversight in Iran and the potential risks to regional and global security. The agency's inability to verify Iran's nuclear activities raises questions about the transparency of Iran's nuclear programme and the effectiveness of international safeguards.
As tensions persist, the international community will be watching closely for any signs of progress in resolving the standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
