IAEA inspectors were unable to gain access to Iranian nuclear facilities
Nuclear security issues always balance on a fine line between international oversight and national sovereignty. Access for inspectors to facilities is not merely a technical procedure but a reflection of the degree of trust between states. When doors remain closed, even with satellite data and monitoring systems in place, tensions inevitably rise, turning the nuclear question into a field of diplomatic bargaining where every move carries strategic weight.
On Friday in Vienna, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said that the agency's inspectors had been unable to obtain permission to enter Iranian nuclear facilities, despite a formal request to resume on site inspections. Grossi stated that the agency had officially asked Iranian authorities to allow inspectors to return to the facilities, but no authorisation had been received to date. He noted, however, that based on his "general impression", Iran's nuclear materials remain inside the facilities, and the IAEA has full data on their storage locations and stockpile quantities.
Grossi added that satellite imagery and other monitoring tools indicate serious damage to several Iranian nuclear facilities, with access roads to some sites reportedly blocked. On 24 June, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, stated that inspection of the attacked nuclear facilities and materials could only be considered and discussed within the framework of a final agreement between Iran and the United States, and only on the condition that the US side takes concrete action to lift all sanctions. Gharibabadi noted that Iran currently has no plans to grant IAEA access to the attacked facilities and nuclear material storage areas. As CCTV+ reports. Diplomatic sources indicate that negotiations between Tehran and Washington on the nuclear programme are continuing, though progress remains limited.
