IAEA urges Iran to return to dialogue
Translated from Greek and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
- IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi urged Iran to resume dialogue and provide access to major nuclear sites that inspectors have been unable to visit since the June 2025 war.
- The United States, Britain, France and Germany have proposed referring Iran to the UN Security Council over alleged failures to meet its nuclear commitments.
- Uncertainty surrounds Iranโs stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium, last seen by IAEA inspectors on June 10, 2025.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is urging Iran to reopen dialogue as pressure builds for the country to be referred to the UN Security Council. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in Vienna that engagement with the agency offered the quickest route to a positive result.
The best and fastest way to a positive outcome is for Iran to start a dialogue with us.
โThe best and fastest way to a positive outcome is for Iran to start a dialogue with us,โ Grossi told a news conference at the IAEA headquarters, where the agencyโs board is meeting this week. He said the agencyโs cooperation with Iran would continue regardless of the proposed resolution.
The UN nuclear watchdog has repeatedly sought access to Iranโs major nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Inspectors have not been able to visit the sites since the 12-day war that began with Israeli strikes in June 2025 and later involved the United States. Nuclear facilities have also been targeted since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran on February 28, according to the article.
If Iran agrees to start a serious dialogue with us and grants us access, I can guarantee you that this will have very, very positive results.
The United States, Britain, France and Germany have put forward a resolution seeking Iranโs referral to the Security Council, saying Tehran is not meeting commitments under its nuclear declaration. The draft, obtained by Agence France-Presse, asks Grossi to submit it to the agencyโs members, the Security Council and the UN General Assembly.
These issues will not disappear until we address them, until we have the necessary access, until we can return.
Before the June 2025 strikes, the IAEA estimated that Iran held 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, an increase of 32.3 kilograms from May 17. Weapons-grade enrichment is understood in the article to be close to 90%. Inspectors last saw the stockpile on June 10, before Iran suspended cooperation with the agency after the initial Israeli and US bombardments. Grossi said the unresolved issues would remain until the agency had the access needed to return. Iranโs UN mission called the draft resolution โanother desperate actโ that โoffers no benefit.โ
Another desperate act
Originally published by Kathimerini in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.