Overview
- IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said this week that technical work has begun and inspections of Iranian enrichment sites are expected to happen under the interim US‑Iran memorandum of understanding.
- The interim pact requires the IAEA to supervise Iran’s nuclear material and gives Washington and Tehran 60 days to agree practical inspection modalities.
- Tehran publicly insists that physical site access must follow a final deal, creating a live sequencing dispute with the United States and the IAEA over when inspectors can enter bombed or sealed facilities.
- The IAEA currently assesses most previously verified highly enriched uranium remains at Fordow with additional material at Natanz, and experts warn prompt on‑site checks are needed to prevent diversion and to verify Iran’s declarations.
- If inspectors regain sustained access and verification holds, diplomats say agreed sanctions relief—estimated by some analysts at roughly $24–25 billion—could follow and reduce Iran’s economic reliance on covert financial routes such as cryptocurrencies; lifting UN sanctions would still require Security Council action.