Iran Says Enriched Uranium Trapped Under Rubble as Cairo Monitoring Deal Faces Limits
Tehran requires Supreme National Security Council approval for any IAEA visits under a framework reached with Rafael Grossi.
Overview
- Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said enriched nuclear material remains under debris at bombed sites and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is assessing its condition for a report to the Supreme National Security Council.
- Iran says no inspections are currently authorized at damaged facilities, with access limited to the Bushehr plant for fuel replacement based on prior approval.
- Rafael Grossi has described the Cairo understanding as contemplating access to all facilities, a characterization Araghchi publicly disputes.
- Routine IAEA cooperation was halted after June–July strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, and a new parliamentary law conditions the return of inspectors on security guarantees and domestic approvals.
- Britain, France, and Germany moved in late August to reimpose UN sanctions over non‑compliance, as Araghchi criticized the step in a call with António Guterres and the UN acknowledged the recent IAEA‑Iran framework.