Washington, DC – The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, warned that Iran risks escalating tensions with Western nations if it does not significantly improve its cooperation with UN inspectors.
In an interview with the Financial Times published on Wednesday, November 4, 2025, Grossi confirmed that the agency had conducted approximately 12 inspections since the outbreak of the war between Iran and Israel last June. However, it has not been able to access key nuclear facilities such as Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, which were targeted by US attacks.
Grossi noted that these attacks caused significant damage to the nuclear sites. The fate of 408 kilograms of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels remains unclear. This underscores the urgent need to resume inspections immediately. He added, “We should have resumed inspections by now.”
Grossi stressed that Iran cannot use war as a pretext to be exempt from its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. He confirmed that the agency is currently relying on satellite imagery to monitor damaged facilities. Cooperation must improve significantly, although he did not yet see a need to refer the matter to the Security Council.
For his part, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei asserted that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful. He urged Grossi to avoid “statements not based on facts.”
Analysts and diplomats fear that continued uncertainty over Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and the lack of progress in negotiations between Washington and Tehran, could prompt Israel to launch new strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.
