The International Atomic Energy Agency warned on Monday that it has lost continuity of knowledge over Iran’s nuclear material for more than a year. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi called for urgent access to key sites as Western powers press a draft resolution to refer Tehran to the UN Security Council.
IAEA Warns of Prolonged Blind Spots at Iranian Nuclear Sites
The United Nations nuclear watchdog finds itself effectively locked out of verifying Tehran’s atomic inventory. During the opening of the IAEA board of governors meeting, Director General Rafael Grossi told the agency’s Board of Governors on Monday that Tehran had provided no information during the latest reporting period on the status of its declared nuclear material or facilities, and inspectors had been unable to conduct on-site verification.
The lack of transparency centers on previously declared stocks of uranium enriched to as much as 60 percent at facilities hit in US and Israeli attacks in June 2025. Grossi emphasized the severity of the situation during his opening address to the 35-member board, stating: It is more than a year since the Agency lost continuity of knowledge
over those stocks.
Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi addresses a news conference at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on June 8, 2026
Joe Klamar/AFP
Grossi labeled the persistent information gap a proliferation concern that needs to be rectified with the utmost urgency
, calling on Iran to restore effective cooperation with the IAEA. The watchdog’s quarterly report, seen by news agencies on Tuesday and discussed at its board of governors meeting from September 21-25, notes that the lack of access to the Isfahan plant is a concern. In the report, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed his conviction that the long-standing problems and recurrent crises surrounding these issues must be resolved through a long-lasting, verifiable diplomatic agreement
.
Western Powers Push for United Nations Security Council Referral
Diplomatic friction has accelerated alongside the agency’s warnings. France, Germany, the UK and the US are pressing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to report Iran to the UN Security Council, as the nuclear watchdog warns that it remains unable to verify Tehran’s nuclear material more than a year after losing access to key facilities. The four Western powers seek support for a draft resolution at the 35-member board that would send the Iran issue back to the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the first time in two decades, according to Reuters.
The proposed text asks Grossi to transmit the resolution, previous board decisions and his latest report to the UNSC and General Assembly. It also calls on Iran to provide the information and access required by inspectors. A resolution drafted by the United States, Britain, France and Germany expected to be submitted and voted on this week seeks to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for failing to comply with its nuclear reporting obligations. While the draft has not yet been formally submitted to the board, and negotiations over its wording are continuing, the draft asks Grossi to submit this resolution to all members of the agency and to the Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations,
AFP reported.
Even if the resolution is approved and clears the 35-member IAEA board, any concrete action at the Security Council could face opposition from Russia and China, two of the five permanent veto powers.
Tehran Cites Prior Strikes and Demands Special Inspection Protocols
Iranian officials reject the move and maintain that its nuclear programme is peaceful. Tehran has suspended cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog following US and Israeli attacks on Iran in June 2025 that included strikes on nuclear sites before saying in September 2025 it would allow the UN agency’s inspectors to return. However, access to the nuclear sites that have been bombed has not yet been granted.
The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, said on August 26 that the IAEA cannot seek to inspect these centres until it develops specific criteria and protocols for inspecting sites targeted by military attacks
. Tehran has said that access to the sites that have been struck by military action must be arranged via special arrangement.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei echoed that defiance during his weekly news conference on Monday, arguing that Western governments were again turning to the IAEA after failing to achieve their objectives elsewhere. Whenever they run out of options, they turn to the agency and Grossi,
Baghaei said. He argued that restrictions facing inspectors were a consequence of US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and that it was unreasonable for those governments to blame Tehran for the resulting loss of access.
Esmaeil Baghaei, Foreign Ministry spokesman
Baghaei warned that Iran would take necessary measures
if the Western powers pursued the resolution.
Diplomatic Pathways and the Looming Board Vote
Despite the escalating rhetoric, the IAEA continues to advocate for a negotiated solution. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi has said that giving the UN nuclear agency access to key nuclear facilities in Iran would have positive repercussions
for Tehran. Grossi told a press conference on Monday after opening the quarterly meeting of the IAEA board of governors: The best, shortest way for a positive outcome is for Iran to engage with us.
If Iran engages with us in a serious dialogue, we can start getting access. I can guarantee to you that this will have very, very positive repercussions,
Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency
With the board of governors scheduled to debate the matter through September 25, the diplomatic window is narrowing. Whether Tehran agrees to new inspection protocols for damaged infrastructure before a formal board vote remains the central question for international monitors.
