The head of the global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), announced that inspectors will visit Iranian nuclear sites under the newly signed U.S.–Iran peace agreement. CEO Rafael Grossi told reporters in Japan that inspection visits “will indeed take place” and that the agency is working on modalities – dates, procedures and places – very soon.
The agreement, signed last week, explicitly states that the dilution of Iran’s highly enriched uranium will be carried out under IAEA supervision. However, Iran’s deputy foreign minister insisted that access to flooded or damaged facilities would only be granted within the framework of a final deal with the U.S. and after practical steps to lift sanctions.
Grossi’s comments come as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Gulf nations, including the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain, to negotiate the accord. On Wednesday, oil prices fell below $75 a barrel for the first time since the U.S.–Israeli–Iran war began, and ships have already crossed the Strait of Hormuz, partly to evacuate sailors stranded by the conflict.
The IAEA has already inspected Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant earlier this month but has not yet accessed the sensitive facilities bombed last June, leaving the size and status of Iran’s stockpiles unclear. The interim Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Iran commits both parties to negotiate a final agreement within 60 days, addressing the disposition of enriched material and mutual commitments to down‑blending under IAEA oversight.
