Lack of access to Iran's nuclear facilities called "a matter of proliferation concern" in new IAEA report

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in a quarterly report seen by news agencies on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, called for "utmost urgency" in addressing the lack of access to Iran's nuclear sites, describing the absence of information and access needed to verify Iran's nuclear material as "a matter of proliferation concern." The report specifically flagged the lack of access to the Isfahan plant, which has been struck multiple times by the US and Israel over the past year or so.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in the report that the issues must be resolved through a long lasting, verifiable diplomatic agreement. Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said on August 26 (4 Shahrivar 1405) that the IAEA cannot seek to inspect sites hit by military strikes until it develops specific criteria and protocols for doing so. Iran suspended cooperation with the IAEA after US and Israeli attacks on its nuclear facilities in June 2025, and said in September 2025 it would allow inspectors to return, though access to the bombed sites has still not been granted.