IAEA chief Rafael Grossi says the UN nuclear watchdog has detected no efforts to rebuild Iranian nuclear facilities damaged in US and Israeli strikes, but warns that 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium remain unaccounted for as Tehran continues to restrict inspectors’ access.  Addressing the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Grossi called for Iran to restore full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stressing that independent verification is essential to any lasting diplomatic settlement of the nuclear dispute. 

The warning comes amid continuing tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme, following military strikes on its atomic facilities in 2025 and 2026 and the US decision to go to war with Tehran on February 28.  Grossi told the 15-member Security Council that the IAEA had found no indication that Iran had attempted to repair or reconstruct nuclear facilities damaged in military attacks over the past two years.  “Since June 2025, we have not identified any activity to repair or reconstruct any of the facilities damaged in the military attacks of 2025 and 2026,” he said. 

The agency’s remote monitoring efforts have similarly revealed no signs of activity suggesting that Iran was rebuilding the affected sites.  However, Grossi cautioned that satellite and remote monitoring cannot replace physical inspections, which remain necessary to establish the actual condition of the facilities and verify Iran’s nuclear activities.  “However, nothing replaces access to the facilities to verify the actual situation,” he said.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons was a major reason for launching the war on February 28. At the same time, Trump has maintained that US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 had “obliterated” the country’s atomic programme.  Despite finding no evidence of reconstruction, the IAEA has been unable to establish the status of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, including material that could raise serious non-proliferation concerns. 

Grossi said 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium remained unaccounted for, with the agency unable to verify that the material had not been diverted from its declared purposes.  “As of today, the IAEA has not been able to verify that there has been no diversion of nuclear material” that must be safeguarded under Iran’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the agency, Grossi told the council.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)