UN watchdog 'increasingly concerned' over Iran nuclear site

What the report says

The UN nuclear watchdog has said it is increasingly concerned about a nuclear site in Iran that it still has not been allowed to inspect, according to a report seen by news agencies and summarized by BBC World News. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it does not know the exact location of the uranium enrichment plant Iran announced for Isfahan, or whether any nuclear material is there.

The BBC reports that Iran notified the IAEA about plans for the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant a day before Israel began strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, with the United States joining the attacks later that month. The planned inspection was then cancelled after the strikes, and since the war began Iran has limited inspectors’ access to nuclear sites, making it harder for the agency to verify the country’s enriched uranium stockpile.

The IAEA said the lack of access and information raises a serious proliferation concern that needs urgent correction. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran agreed to cap its enriched uranium stockpile and limit enrichment levels, but the BBC says it later exceeded those limits. Before the June 2025 strikes, the agency estimated Iran had accumulated 441kg of uranium enriched to 60%, a level close to weapons-grade.

BBC World News also said the Isfahan complex was heavily damaged in the US and Israeli strikes, though the condition of underground facilities remains unclear. Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful, while the US and Israel say their strikes were intended to stop it from developing nuclear weapons.