On Wednesday, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi stated that the UN agency will conduct inspections in Iran soon, following an interim agreement reached between Washington and Tehran, although the details of implementation have not yet been finalized.
اضافة اعلان
Last week, the two countries signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) containing several agreements in principle to end the war. The interim agreement paved the way for 60 days of talks addressing more complex details, such as issues related to the Iranian nuclear program.
"The inspections will certainly take place," Grossi said during a press conference in Japan, an audio recording of which was published online by the IAEA, according to the Associated Press.
Referring to discussions with Tehran, he added: "We will work very soon on defining the modalities of implementation – dates, procedures, and locations."
Tehran has blocked the IAEA from visiting uranium enrichment sites since Israel launched a 12-day war on Iran in 2025. It is believed that Tehran is stockpiling enough highly enriched uranium to build up to 10 nuclear weapons, should it decide to sprint toward possessing the bomb.
Iran has long maintained that its program is peaceful, despite being the only country in the world to possess uranium enriched up to 60% without having a nuclear weapons program.
War of Words
The United States and Iran issued conflicting statements on Tuesday regarding whether those sites would be subject to inspection. Grossi acknowledged the contradictions, describing them as a "war of words" for the time being.
"I can understand political statements; they are part of the reality. But the fundamental thing I would like to remind you of and draw your attention to is that a memorandum of understanding was signed by both presidents," he told reporters at a press conference at the tsunami-stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
He said the agreement "explicitly states that nuclear activities, to be implemented with respect to nuclear material facilities, will be under the supervision of the IAEA – in all communications."
Grossi added: "Obviously, we will have to conduct an inspection to do that. Whether this happens the day after tomorrow, in a week, or in ten days is important, but not essential. It will inevitably happen."
Iranian Nuclear Sites
These inspections are central to the agreement, which calls for a "reduction" of Iran's uranium stockpile from highly enriched levels.
There was no immediate reaction from Iran. On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that UN inspectors were not included on the list of those conducting assessments of the nuclear sites bombed by the United States last year, thereby rejecting statements made a day earlier by U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
The IAEA has been permitted to visit other nuclear sites in Iran since the 12-day war in 2025, such as the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. However, the agency says it is unable to verify the status of Iran's nuclear stockpile or inspect the cascade of centrifuges used for uranium enrichment due to lack of access to enrichment sites.
Both Iran and the IAEA assert that Tehran has not weaponized uranium, but non-proliferation experts fear that the Islamic Republic might relocate its stockpile to undeclared areas.
Last week, the United States and Iran agreed on a deal calling on Tehran to dilute its enriched uranium stockpile in exchange for the waiver of U.S.-backed sanctions on Iranian oil, giving each side 60 days to reach broader agreements.
However, the fragile ceasefire has already been tested, as Iran announced another closure of the strait due to ongoing fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Violence erupted again in Lebanon on Tuesday but did not escalate.
