IAEA Chief Reports on Iran Nuclear Facilities, Cites Progress at Bushehr
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), announced on Monday during the opening of the Board of Governors meeting at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria, that he had presented a report to the Board of Governors, the IAEA General Conference, and the UN Security Council regarding threats associated with nuclear facilities in Iran and the Persian Gulf region. He also elaborated on the detrimental impact of ongoing conflicts on the nuclear safeguards regime.
The IAEA Director General stated that his report on the implementation of the NPT safeguards agreement and relevant UN Security Council resolutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran was before the council. In February 2026, the agency had halted all field verification activities in Iran due to military conflict. Despite the persistent military engagement, last week saw the resumption of some field verification activities in Iran with a routine IAEA inspection at the Bushehr nuclear power plant. During this reporting period, no inspections were conducted at other declared nuclear facilities in Iran. The report indicates that the lack of information and access has prevented the IAEA from verifying the suspension of all enrichment, reprocessing, and heavy water-related activities as mandated by relevant Security Council and Board of Governors resolutions.
Rafael Mariano Grossi further asserted that, consequently, the agency is currently unable to effectively fulfill its obligations under the NPT safeguards agreement, except for the Bushehr nuclear power plant, and to verify Iran’s implementation of relevant Security Council and Board of Governors resolutions. Throughout this reporting period, Iran has not engaged with the agency on outstanding safeguards issues detailed in his comprehensive assessment report from June of last year (GOV/2025/25). He urged Tehran to engage constructively with the agency to facilitate the full and effective implementation of safeguards in Iran, in line with the NPT safeguards agreement, and to adhere to the provisions of the Security Council and Board of Governors resolutions.
Grossi added that the long-standing issues and recurring crises surrounding Iran’s peaceful nuclear program must be resolved through a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic agreement. He reiterated his full support for ongoing negotiations aimed at finding a mutually acceptable solution and expressed readiness to support a final agreement through the IAEA’s verification and monitoring capabilities. The IAEA is expected to play a verification role under any diplomatic agreement, as agreements lacking such agency verification are deemed unsustainable.
