The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has issued a stark warning, expressing growing concern over Iran’s Isfahan nuclear complex, which it has been unable to inspect since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes last June.
Iran announced plans to build the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant (IFEP) on 12 June 2025, a day before Israel began attacking its nuclear sites. The U.S. joined the campaign later that month. The IAEA reports that it does not know the exact location of the facility or whether it contains nuclear material, citing the lack of access to the site.
Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was limited to a 300‑kg stockpile of enriched uranium at 3.67% purity. The country has since exceeded these limits, reportedly amassing about 441 kg of uranium enriched to 60%—close to weapons‑grade—before the attacks.
While the above‑ground sections of the complex suffered extensive damage, the condition of its underground facilities remains unclear. The IAEA believes that much of Iran’s highly enriched uranium was stored there.
“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,” the IAEA said in its latest report.
Iran had initially 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 a similar request, when it had only inspected some of the 13 nuclear facilities that were “unaffected” by the attacks and none of the seven that were damaged.
Both the U.S. and Israel justify the strikes as a preventive measure to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons—a claim Iran consistently denies, insisting its nuclear programme is for peaceful civilian purposes only.
Source: BBC World
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