The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Monday (June 23, 2025) known as for its inspectors to have the opportunity to return to Iran’s nuclear sites in a bid to “account for” its highly enriched uranium stockpiles.
He known as for a cessation of hostilities.
The request follows assaults by Israel and the United States on Iran’s nuclear services. “Iran, Israel and the Middle East need peace,” Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), informed an emergency assembly of the organisation’s board of governors in Vienna. “For that, we must take a number of steps,” he stated.
Israel-Iran battle LIVE updates from June 23, 2025
“First of all, we must return to the negotiating table and for that allow IAEA inspectors – the guardians on our behalf of the NPT (nuclear non-proliferation treaty) – to go back to Iran’s nuclear sites and account for the stockpiles of uranium, including, most importantly, the 400 kg enriched to 60%,” he stated.
Mr. Grossi stated Tehran had despatched him a letter on June 13 asserting the implementation of “special measures to protect nuclear equipment and materials”.
“There needs to be a cessation of hostilities for the necessary safety and security conditions to prevail so that Iran can let IAEA teams into the sites to assess the situation,” he stated.
Over the weekend, the United States struck three Iranian nuclear sites, becoming a member of Israel’s bombardments of Iran’s nuclear programme.
“Craters are now visible at the Fordo site, Iran’s main facility for enriching uranium at 60%, indicating the use of ground-penetrating munitions,” he stated. He added that “very significant damage” is predicted to have occurred for the U.S. bombing, “given the explosive payload utilised and the extreme vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges”.
“At this time, no-one including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordo,” he stated.
The U.S. strikes got here after Israel started launching large-scale assaults on Iran on June 13, focusing on its missile and nuclear services, army leaders, safety providers, and residential sites.
Iran’s uranium enrichment has for many years brought on pressure, with Western powers voicing fears the drive is aimed toward making an atomic bomb, a declare denied by Tehran.
Israel has maintained ambiguity about its personal atomic arsenal, neither formally confirming nor denying it exists, however the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has estimated it has 90 nuclear warheads.
European powers have urged Tehran to revive diplomatic efforts with the United States to discover a resolution within the standoff over its nuclear programme.
Iran has stated it might solely take into account diplomacy as soon as Israel halts its bombardment of the Islamic republic.
