Overview
- On Wednesday Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said a law passed by parliament and the Supreme National Security Council forbids IAEA inspectors from entering sites damaged in recent bombings and that inspectors may only visit Bushehr and the Tehran research reactor.
- IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has warned the agency needs on‑site access to Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow because most of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely at Isfahan and the agency cannot account for the material without inspections.
- President Trump and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff recently said Iran agreed to allow IAEA inspections, a claim that Ghalibaf’s public rejection directly contradicts and that raises questions about implementation of technical understandings.
- The lack of on‑site verification creates a gap that prevents technical measures such as downblending of highly enriched uranium and complicates conditional moves like releasing frozen assets, and market analysts say it lowers the odds of a uranium‑enrichment deal by year‑end.
- This dispute follows Tehran’s voiding of a September inspection arrangement after Britain, France and Germany moved to reimpose UN sanctions, and observers will watch statements from Iran’s supreme leader, the IAEA and Western capitals for any change that could reopen access.