IAEA increasingly concerned over Isfahan nuclear plant it has never been allowed to inspect

The UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, has said it is increasingly concerned about a nuclear facility in Iran which it has not been allowed to inspect.

Iran informed the IAEA of plans to set up the uranium enrichment plant in the city of Isfahan a day before Israel began attacking its nuclear sites last June. The US joined the strikes later that month.

In a report seen by news agencies, the IAEA said it does not know the exact location of the plant or whether it contains nuclear material.

Since the start of the latest war, Iran has restricted IAEA inspectors' access to its nuclear sites, preventing the agency from verifying its enriched uranium stockpile.

Under a 2015 nuclear deal, Iran agreed to limit its enriched uranium stockpile to 300kg and enrichment to 3.67% purity. It subsequently exceeded both limits.

Before the June 2025 strikes, Iran had accumulated an estimated 441kg of uranium enriched to 60%, close to weapons grade.

The nuclear complex at Isfahan suffered extensive damage in US and Israeli strikes, particularly the parts above ground. The condition of its underground facilities is not clear, and the IAEA believes much of Iran's highly enriched uranium was stored there.

In its latest report the agency said its lack of information about Iran's nuclear material and its lack of access to facilities to verify it is a matter of serious proliferation concern, and needs to be rectified with the utmost urgency.

Iran announced plans for the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant (IFEP) on 12 June 2025, shortly after an IAEA resolution declared that Iran had failed to meet its nuclear safeguards obligations.

Iran initially agreed to allow inspectors to visit the facility, but the inspection was cancelled after Israel launched attacks the following day.

Tehran has told the IAEA that it is not possible to resume inspections in the current security situation. The IAEA said it is fully prepared to resume its safeguards activities in Iran at short notice.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi urged Iran to consider limited technical measures that could make inspection visits possible and help restore routine monitoring.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said at a news conference in Tehran on Monday that Iran remained committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.