IAEA Official to Visit Iran Without Nuclear Site Access
A senior UN nuclear official will visit Iran to improve strained relations following recent conflicts, but no inspections of nuclear facilities are planned. Iran’s suspension of IAEA cooperation, prompted by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, complicates efforts to monitor its nuclear program.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that the deputy head of the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Tehran on Monday to address strained relations, but no inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities are scheduled. The visit marks the first high-level IAEA engagement since Iran’s 12-day war with Israel in June 2025, during which U.S. and Israeli airstrikes targeted key Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz, killing nearly 1,100 people, including military commanders and nuclear scientists, while 30 were killed in Israel.
The airstrikes prompted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to suspend cooperation with the IAEA on July 3, 2025, further limiting oversight of Iran’s nuclear program, which has been enriching uranium to 60%, close to the 90% needed for weapons-grade material. U.S. intelligence and the IAEA have stated that Iran’s organized nuclear weapons program ended in 2003, but its recent activities have raised global concerns. “As long as we haven’t reached a new framework for cooperation, there will be no cooperation, and the new framework will definitely be based on the law passed by the Parliament,” Araghchi declared, emphasizing that any IAEA engagement requires approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Araghchi recently noted on state media that Tehran’s cooperation with the IAEA hinges on this new framework, a tactic Iran has used previously to pressure Western negotiators. The suspension followed accusations that the IAEA failed to condemn the June strikes. Meanwhile, Iran’s stockpile of nearly weapons-grade uranium remains unverified, with the IAEA unable to access damaged sites. Talks between Tehran and Washington on a nuclear deal remain uncertain, with Iran demanding guarantees against further military actions. The visit comes amid heightened regional tensions, including Iran’s threats against Israel and ongoing conflicts involving Hamas, underscoring the delicate balance of diplomacy and security in the Middle East.