Overview
- IAEA Director‑General Rafael Grossi told the agency’s Board of Governors on Monday that inspectors have been “completely blind” to Iran’s nuclear programme for more than a year and cannot conduct on‑site verification.
- The United States, Britain, France and Germany have drafted a Board text asking Grossi to transmit his latest report and board decisions to the UN Security Council and General Assembly, though the draft has not been formally tabled and its wording is still being negotiated.
- The agency’s last verified inventory showed about 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to roughly 60 percent purity, and without resumed access the IAEA cannot determine whether that material was destroyed, moved, dispersed, or further enriched.
- Iran’s June–July 2025 law formally suspended cooperation with the IAEA and ties reopening inspections to political negotiations, and Tehran has rejected the referral effort while warning it will take “necessary measures.”
- Any Security Council response would likely face vetoes from Russia and China, so the referral would be a diplomatic escalation that could strain talks over sanctions relief, weaken routine verification norms under the Non‑Proliferation Treaty, and increase regional tensions that affect civilians and inspectors on the ground.