A confidential assessment by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it has been unable to confirm whether Iran has halted all uranium-enrichment activity after the June conflict in which Israel and the United States struck Iranian nuclear facilities. With inspectors kept out of several damaged sites, the watchdog said it cannot reliably determine the status of enrichment-related work or account for material believed to be stored at the affected locations.
The report warned that the loss of “continuity of knowledge” has created urgent blind spots for international monitoring. It noted that Iran has four declared enrichment facilities, but that the IAEA lacks the access required to provide updated information on the size, composition, or location of enriched uranium stockpiles inside the country.
While Tehran has repeatedly insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, the IAEA and Western governments have long argued that Iran previously had an organized weapons effort that ended in 2003. In recent months, the United States has pursued talks aimed at limiting Iran’s program and ensuring it does not build a nuclear weapon, an outcome that would be difficult to verify without regular inspections and clear accounting of uranium inventories.
Stockpile Figures Raise Pressure On Verification
According to the IAEA’s latest accounting, Iran holds 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60%, a level described as a short technical step from weapons-grade (90%) if further processed. Such highly enriched material is typically subject to frequent verification, and the agency’s guidelines call for checks about once a month, the report said.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has previously warned that the amount of 60% material could be enough, if further enriched and weaponized, to produce up to 10 nuclear bombs, while also emphasizing that this does not mean Iran has built a weapon. The current concern, the report indicates, is not only the size of the stockpile but also the inability to confirm its location and whether it has been moved, especially after strikes damaged parts of the nuclear infrastructure.
Iran’s position, as described in the IAEA document, is that routine safeguards are no longer workable under the current security conditions. The report said Iran told the agency in a letter dated Feb. 2 that normal safeguards had become “legally untenable and materially impracticable,” citing threats and what it called acts of aggression.
Satellite Images Show Movement, Not Answers
In the absence of on-the-ground access to key sites, the IAEA said it has relied on commercial satellite imagery to track visible activity. At Isfahan, roughly 350 kilometers (215 miles) southeast of Tehran, imagery showed regular vehicle traffic near the entrance to a tunnel complex used to store enriched material, according to the report. Isfahan was among the facilities hit during the June fighting.
The IAEA also reported observing activity at the enrichment plants in Natanz and Fordow, but said it could not determine the nature or purpose of the activity without direct access. That limitation matters because satellite images can indicate movement, vehicles, earthworks, or repairs, without revealing whether operations relate to cleanup, reconstruction, relocation of material, or resumed nuclear work.
The agency added that Iran has allowed inspectors to visit each unaffected declared nuclear site at least once since June 2025, except for a power plant at Karun that remains under construction. Even so, the core issue highlighted by the report is that restrictions at damaged facilities leave the watchdog unable to produce a complete, current picture of Iran’s enriched uranium holdings.
Diplomacy Continues With IAEA Role In Focus
The report said Grossi attended U.S.-Iran talks on Feb. 17 and Feb. 26 in Geneva, where he provided technical advice on what verification could look like under any potential agreement. The negotiations, mediated by Oman, have continued without producing a deal, and an Omani official said lower-level technical discussions would resume next week in Vienna, home to the IAEA.
Iran has rejected demands that it permanently stop enrichment on its territory or transfer its highly enriched uranium stockpile abroad, according to the report. Negotiations previously stalled after the June conflict, and the IAEA assessment underscores that any diplomatic arrangement will likely hinge on restoring inspection access and rebuilding a verified record of nuclear material, steps the agency says are urgent if credible oversight is to be reestablished.
