IAEA Concerned Over Undisclosed Iranian Uranium Enrichment Facility

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed "growing concern" over an undeclared underground uranium enrichment facility in Isfahan, Iran, according to a confidential report obtained by Reuters. Iran announced the facility last year but has not allowed IAEA inspectors access to it. This comes after a 12-day joint Israeli-US military campaign in June of the previous year, which targeted and damaged Iran's other uranium enrichment sites, considered the core of its nuclear program. Diplomats believe the Isfahan facility is located within a tunnel network in Isfahan, though its exact location and status remain unknown. The IAEA had planned to inspect the facility on June 13, 2025, but the bombing campaign, which began that day, made it impossible. The agency stated in its report to member states that it lacks information on the facility's precise location, its safeguards status, and whether it contains nuclear material. Iran's refusal to grant access for inspection or provide design plans has heightened the IAEA's concerns. In March, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi indicated the agency believed a significant amount of highly enriched Iranian uranium was present in the Isfahan tunnel complex. The report also reiterated calls for Iran to declare the status of its enrichment facilities and its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, some of which is close to weapons-grade. The IAEA stressed that Iran must allow inspectors back to previously bombed sites and account for enriched uranium, stating that the lack of information and access is a serious proliferation concern that needs immediate correction.