In a confidential report, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that since the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities during the 12-day war, it has lost the ability to verify Iran’s uranium stockpiles enriched close to weapons grade.
The Associated Press wrote on Wednesday, November 12, that in this confidential report—shared with member states—the Agency emphasized that the continuation of this situation prevents assessment of the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program, and rebuilding a complete picture of Iran’s uranium stockpiles will be a long and difficult process.
Reuters also reported on Wednesday, citing the same confidential document, that the Agency has had no access to Iran’s nuclear material for five months.
Iran’s Regime Leader: Negotiation Is Useless and Uranium Enrichment Will Continue
The confidential report stresses that the amount of highly enriched uranium produced and stockpiled by Iran is “a matter of serious concern.”
According to the IAEA’s last official report in September, Iran’s regime possesses 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60%, a level only one technical step away from the 90% weapons-grade threshold.
However, Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s regime foreign ministry, stated on November 10 that Iran remains a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that IAEA inspectors visited several nuclear facilities in Iran last week.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had warned that this amount of uranium, if Iran decided to build a nuclear weapon, would be enough for up to 10 nuclear bombs, although he emphasized that such a decision has not yet been made.
IAEA’s request for a special report
According to the safeguards agreement between Iran’s regime and the IAEA, Tehran is obligated to submit a special report following incidents such as attacks or earthquakes, detailing the condition and location of its nuclear materials, including highly enriched uranium stockpiles.
This report must also describe the condition of facilities damaged during the June war.
The Agency stated that receiving this report is “essential and irreplaceable” to ensure that nuclear materials remain within peaceful activities and are not diverted for military use.
Nevertheless, on November 11, Tehran informed the Agency in a letter that “any cooperation with this body will depend on the decision of Iran’s regime Supreme National Security Council.”
The report also confirms that Tehran has not yet allowed IAEA inspectors access to damaged facilities, although following Rafael Grossi’s agreement with Iran’s regime foreign minister Abbas Araghchi—known as the Cairo Agreement—visits were carried out at several undamaged sites, including the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the Tehran research reactor, and several other centers.
The Agency added that its inspectors would travel to Iran on Wednesday to inspect the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, located about 350 kilometers southeast of Tehran. The facility employs thousands of nuclear specialists and hosts three China-built research reactors and several laboratories linked to Iran’s nuclear program.
Sanctions and Iran’s further isolation
After the end of the 12-day war, Iran suspended its cooperation with the Agency, and the United Nations Security Council reimposed extensive sanctions on Iran by activating the “snapback” mechanism.
This move angered Tehran and ultimately prevented the implementation of the Cairo Agreement.
Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran is legally obligated to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
However, the return of UN sanctions has frozen Iran’s assets abroad, halted arms transactions with Tehran, and imposed new penalties on the regime’s missile program.
According to the Associated Press, as a result of these developments, Iran is now more isolated than ever, and the crisis of trust between Tehran and international institutions over the true status of its nuclear program has intensified to an unprecedented degree.
