United Nations chief hints inspectors will visit Iran nuclear sites as part of peace deal

The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has indicated that inspectors will be granted access to Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, a crucial development in the interim agreement between the US and Iran to end the ongoing conflict.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), delivered the agency’s most definitive statement yet regarding Iran’s nuclear stockpile. The IAEA is considered pivotal in assessing the Islamic Republic’s atomic capabilities.

Since Israel launched a 12-day war on Iran in 2025, Tehran has reportedly prevented IAEA officials from visiting these key enrichment facilities.

These sites are believed to house sufficient highly enriched uranium to potentially construct as many as 10 nuclear weapons, should Iran opt to rapidly develop such a capability.

While Iran consistently asserts its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, it remains the sole nation globally to enrich uranium to 60 per cent purity without an acknowledged weapons programme.

However, conflicting statements emerged on Tuesday from both the US and Iran concerning whether these vital inspections would proceed.

“I can understand political statements, they are part of the reality, but the fundamental thing I would like to remind you and draw your attention to is that there has been a Memorandum of Understanding, signed by both presidents,” Grossi told journalists at a news conference from the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The accord “explicitly states that the nuclear activities that are going to be carried out with the regards of the nuclear material facilities will be supervised by the IAEA — in all letters,” he said.

Grossi added: “Obviously, to do that, we have to inspect. Whether this happens the day after tomorrow or in one week or in ten days, it’s important, but not essential. This is going to happen.”

Those inspections are key for the deal, which calls for Iran’s stockpile of uranium to be “downblended” from highly enriched levels.

Earlier this week, JD Vance said Iran has agreed to allow nuclear inspectors into the country again following an initial round of discussions aimed at resolving the conflict with the United States.

Speaking after discussions in Switzerland, the US vice president said the development was “probably what we’re most excited about as Americans”, and that plans could be drawn up as soon as this week.

Iran’s nuclear programme has been at the centre of the dispute with the US and Israel since before the conflict erupted, and remains the focus of the new 60-day window for talks to finalise a deal to end the war.

“That is a major milestone for the American people, and the first step in permanently denuclearising or permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in Iran, and that’s exactly what we wanted to do,” Vance said.