IAEA Admits Loss of Oversight on Iran's Uranium Reserves

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has revealed in a confidential report that it has lost all ability to track Iran's enriched uranium stockpiles, including hundreds of kilograms enriched to 60% purity, a level close to weapons-grade. Tehran is aggressively blocking inspectors from 21 nuclear sites, with a new, undisclosed enrichment facility near Isfahan being a particular concern.

The 11-page internal report, circulated to member states ahead of next week's IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, highlights unprecedented information gaps. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has urgently called on Iran to allow inspectors access to resume monitoring, stating that the lack of information about Iran's nuclear material and facilities is a serious concern for nuclear non-proliferation.

According to the report, no routine verification activities have occurred in Iran since late February. The agency has no access to 20 declared nuclear sites and one additional undeclared site. Key facilities like the underground enrichment plant at Fordow, the main site at Natanz, and the nuclear facility at Isfahan are among those now off-limits to inspectors.

Iran has officially announced the construction of a fourth enrichment facility near Isfahan, but the IAEA admits it does not even have a precise location for this new plant. The last verified data, based on partial Iranian submissions from June 12-13, 2025, indicated a total of 9,874.9 kg of enriched uranium, including 184.1 kg enriched to up to 20% and 440.9 kg enriched to up to 60%.

Since that date, the IAEA has no information on the current quantity or chemical composition of the uranium, the status of centrifuges, ongoing production, or where the materials are stored. While Iran denies pursuing nuclear weapons and claims its enrichment has civilian purposes, it offers no explanation for enriching uranium to 60% and ignores questions about past activities at undeclared sites. The only site Iran has promised to allow inspectors access to is the Bushehr power plant later this month.

Despite the lack of ground access, satellite imagery does not currently show evidence of a large-scale resumption of enrichment activities, and US and Iranian officials have stated enrichment has not resumed. There is also no verified proof that Iran has assembled a nuclear explosive device. However, the absence of inspectors creates a significant intelligence void, leaving the international community effectively blind to the activities within Iran's nuclear facilities. This situation places Iran just days away from potentially acquiring enough fissile material for multiple nuclear bombs without timely warning to the IAEA or the West.