Iran Halts Most IAEA Nuclear Inspections Amid Security Threats
Iran notified the IAEA that inspections can't resume amid threats, halting most monitoring since mid-2025.
Why it matters: This development heightens risks to global nuclear nonproliferation efforts by limiting oversight of Iran's enriched uranium stockpiles. Legal and policy experts on international nuclear law and sanctions must monitor these escalating tensions affecting enforcement.
- Iran told the IAEA monitoring can’t proceed while under military threats, particularly from the U.S.
- Since June 2025, IAEA inspections have been suspended at all Iranian nuclear sites except Bushehr.
- Only one inspection has occurred since June 2025, at the Bushehr power plant in September 2026.
- The IAEA cannot verify Iran’s 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, nor confirm status of the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant.
In a recent communication to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran stated that nuclear inspections cannot resume while it faces ongoing military threats, notably from the United States. This marks a continuation of a suspension of most IAEA inspections since June 2025, after U.S. and Israeli military strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities.
As a result, the IAEA has been unable to verify the status and quantity of highly enriched uranium at Iran’s nuclear sites. The latest estimate places Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile at 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity, but the agency has had no direct access to verify this since the 2025 strikes.
The only exception was a single inspection at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in September 2026. Other key sites, such as the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant, have not been inspected, leaving the IAEA unable to confirm the location or condition of nuclear materials there.
The IAEA’s director general has urged Iran to take "technical and gradual measures" to allow inspectors to return, while Iran has said it is ready to consider expanding cooperation once conditions for safe inspections are met.
This impasse highlights the fragile state of Iran’s nuclear oversight and presents significant challenges for the enforcement of international nonproliferation agreements amid geopolitical conflict.
By the numbers:
- 440.9 kilograms — Iran’s estimated stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity
- June 2025 — Date when IAEA inspections largely suspended following military strikes
- September 2026 — Only IAEA inspection since June 2025, conducted at Bushehr plant
Yes, but: Iran has expressed willingness to expand cooperation with the IAEA once conditions for safe inspections are established, leaving open a path to restore oversight.
What's next: IAEA and Iran discussions will likely focus on security guarantees for inspectors to resume access, but no timeline for restoring full inspections has been set.