Grossi Says Iran Agreed to Full IAEA Access at Nuclear Sites

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said on Friday that a memorandum of understanding gives IAEA inspectors full access to Iranian nuclear facilities, despite Tehran’s public denials. Grossi said the agency needs access to verify Iran’s nuclear activities and added, “We hope to be there very soon.”

He said inspectors’ first tasks would be to confirm that seals previously placed on inspected nuclear material remain intact and to ensure no nuclear material is missing from stockpiles. “The goal of this agreement is to make sure there will be no development of nuclear weapons in Iran,” Grossi said, adding that Iran’s declarations were not enough and that “a very strong verification and monitoring mechanism” was needed as soon as possible.

His remarks came amid renewed tension with the United States. On Monday, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said the Iranians had agreed to re-invite IAEA inspectors, calling it “a significant milestone for the American people” and “the first step toward permanent denuclearization or a permanent end to Iran’s nuclear weapons program.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Esmail Baghaei rejected that account, saying Tehran did not intend to let inspectors into nuclear sites that were hit during the conflict with Israel and the United States. Former foreign minister Abbas Araghchi also said in an interview that the latest deal with the agency “does not guarantee full access” to the sites.

Grossi’s clarification directly answered those denials. He and Baghaei had already reached an agreement in Cairo at the end of summer on “practical steps to resume inspection activities in Iran,” after Iran fully stopped cooperating with the agency when the war with Israel began in June. The need for renewed monitoring grew after Iranian nuclear facilities were attacked in the fighting, and Araghchi said enriched uranium was “kept under the rubble” of the bombed sites while authorities assessed its condition.

Before the cooperation freeze, September figures showed Iran holding 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, close to weapons grade. Grossi warned then that such a stockpile could be enough for up to ten nuclear warheads if diverted for military use. It remains unclear whether Iran will now meet its commitments or continue to resist effective international oversight.