No Inspection of War Struck Nuclear Sites Until a Protocol Is Set, Iran's Atomic Chief Says

Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said on Wednesday, 4 Shahrivar 1405 (August 26, 2026), responding to an IRNA question about recent contacts with the International Atomic Energy Agency, that sites damaged in recent military strikes cannot be inspected by the agency until a protocol for inspecting war struck sites is drafted, approved and formally issued. He added that sites that were not hit continue to receive normal, ongoing IAEA inspections under Iran's safeguards agreement. Eslami said Iran's own criterion is a law passed by parliament, and that the position has already been formally communicated to the agency. The comments come as Iran's nuclear file and the pace of IAEA inspections remain a key variable behind sanctions risk and movements in Iran's currency and gold markets.