Iran Denies Access to Bombed Nuclear Facility for IAEA Inspectors

Iran's nuclear facility in Natanz. (WIkimedia Commons/Hamed Saber)

JAKARTA - Iranian authorities said on Tuesday that inspectors from the U.N. nuclear watchdog would not be granted access to Iranian nuclear facilities bombed during last year's war with Israel and the United States.

"We have not held a meeting with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and we also have no plans for the agency to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities damaged by the US and Zionist military aggression," Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a press conference in Tehran, launching Al Arabiya from AFP (23/6).

Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance on Monday said Iran would allow UN nuclear inspectors to return, calling it a "significant milestone and the first step in Iran's permanent denuclearization."

This followed talks between the two sides in Switzerland mediated by Pakistan and Qatar.

In June last year, a 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which was then followed by the United States, led Washington to bomb three nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

Iran said Natanz was hit again in its latest war with the US and Israel, but Israel said it was "not aware of any attack."

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump last year claimed to have "destroyed" Iran's nuclear program, but the extent of the damage is unknown.

Iran itself has so far refused access to the site, citing security concerns.

Based on a law passed by its parliament, Iran suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in July last year, criticizing the agency for failing to condemn the Israeli-American attack.

But in September, Iran agreed to resume cooperation after the two sides reached an agreement on a new framework. However, this agreement does not apply to the bombed location.

"Basically there is no protocol in this matter," Baqaei said on Tuesday.

"As a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, as a country committed to the security agreement, we will continue the current procedures, and I think the current procedures are very clear," he added.