Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Raffael Grossi speaks to the media on the opening day of his agency’s quarterly Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, 8 June 2026;
Credit: REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl
TOKYO (Reuters) - The interim US-Iran peace accord gives UN nuclear inspectors access to Iran, the watchdog's top official said on Friday 26 June 2026, after Tehran indicated key sites would remain off-limits until a final deal with Washington was reached and sanctions lifted.
The US and Iran last week signed a memorandum of understanding paving the way for 60 days of talks to resolve thornier issues, including those related to Iran's nuclear programme. Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Wednesday 24 June 2026 there were no plans to grant access to inspectors.
But International Atomic Energy Agency boss Rafael Grossi said on Friday that inspections had to happen.
"There is an agreement and to comply with that, the IAEA will have to have access and inspect," he told a press conference in Japan. "We hope to be there soon."
UN inspectors have already held an initial exchange with Iranian officials to discuss technical issues, Grossi said. The primary objective of any visit to Iran would be to check whether IAEA seals on previously inspected material remained intact and whether any material was missing, he said.
"Intentions are not enough. We have to have a very strong verification system in place," he said.
Iran has not informed the watchdog how much of its enriched uranium survived US and Israeli attacks or where it is.
The IAEA estimates Iran had 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60% before the conflict began. If enriched further, that would be enough for ten nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick.
