Report: Iran Restricts Access to Nuclear Sites Following US and Israel Incidents

Iran has blocked international inspectors from accessing three nuclear sites targeted by the United States in June, raising concerns about the amount of near-weapons-grade uranium in its possession. This information comes from a confidential report obtained by the Associated Press.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) informed its member states that it is currently unable to verify whether Iran has halted all activities related to uranium enrichment. Additionally, the agency lacks critical data about the current quantity, composition, and location of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.

The IAEA emphasized the urgency of resolving this “loss of continuity of knowledge” concerning all previously declared nuclear materials at the affected sites in Iran. The agency stated that Iran’s refusal to cooperate is a direct violation of its legal obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Iran ceased all collaboration with the IAEA following a 12-day conflict with Israel in June 2025, during which the U.S. deployed at least six “bunker buster” bombs on nuclear facilities located at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.

With no access to these critical sites, the IAEA has been compelled to rely on commercial satellite imagery for assessments. Recent observations of the Isfahan facility, situated about 215 miles southeast of Tehran, revealed ongoing vehicular activity near a tunnel complex used for storing enriched materials. Although the facility appeared to have escaped destruction, the report noted uncertainty regarding the presence of nuclear material or the facility’s operational status.

Observation of the Isfahan facility, some 215 miles southeast of Tehran, showed “regular vehicular activity” around the entrance to a tunnel complex used to store enriched material and that appears to have averted destruction in June, the report said, adding that it was unclear whether the site “contains nuclear material or is operational.”

The IAEA also noted that prior to the American and Israeli strikes, Iran said it was setting up another enrichment plant at Isfahan, though the agency does not know its precise location or whether it is functioning.

Activity was also observed at Fordow and Natanz, the former of which is buried 300 feet inside a mountain, but “without access to these facilities it is not possible for the Agency to confirm the nature and the purpose of the activities,” the IAEA acknowledged.

Iran has given inspectors access to its other nuclear facilities “at least once” since June 2025, with the exception of a power plant at Karun that is under construction, the watchdog noted.

Tehran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but the US, UN and other Western nations have confirmed an organized atomic weapons program existed through at least 2003.

According to the IAEA, Iran maintains a stockpile of 972 pounds of uranium enriched to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

IAEA director general Rafael Grossi warned in an October interview that stockpile could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, though he added that does not mean Tehran has such weapons.

US and Iranian officials wrapped up a fresh round of indirect talks in Switzerland Thursday, as President Trump’s deadline to reach an agreement on the future of Tehran’s nuclear program looms as soon as this weekend.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday to discuss Iran and other regional issues with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

With Post wires