IAEA Chief Hints Inspectors Will Visit Iran Nuclear Site

JAKARTA - The head of the UN nuclear agency on Wednesday hinted that Iran's nuclear enrichment site would be visited by its inspectors, a key component of a temporary deal between the United States and Iran to end the war.

The comments from the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi were the most decisive statement from the UN body, which is considered key in determining the status of Iran's nuclear stockpile.

Since Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran in 2025, the IAEA has been barred by Tehran from visiting enrichment sites where Iran is believed to store highly enriched uranium in quantities sufficient to potentially build up to 10 nuclear weapons, if they choose to immediately make a bomb.

Iran has long said its program is peaceful, though it is the only country in the world to have uranium enriched to 60 percent purity without a weapons program.

The United States and Iran gave contradictory statements on Tuesday about whether the sites would be inspected.

"I can understand political statements, that's part of reality, but the fundamental thing I want to remind and emphasize is that there has been a Memorandum of Understanding, signed by both presidents," Grossi told reporters at a press conference at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japan, launching Al Arabiya from The Associated Press (24/6).

The agreement "explicitly states that any nuclear activities that will be carried out in relation to nuclear material facilities will be supervised by the IAEA - completely," he said.

Grossi added: "Obviously, to do that, we have to have inspections. Whether it happens tomorrow or in a week or in ten days, it's important, but not important. It will happen."

The inspection is a key to the deal, which calls for Iran's uranium stockpile to be "reduced" from its high-enrichment level.