Iran Slams IAEA Over Silence on Nuclear Site Attacks

By Staff, Agencies

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization [AEO] chief Mohammad Eslami has called on the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] to clarify its failure to condemn attacks targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, stressing that the agency lacks any automatic right to inspect installations that have been subjected to attacks.

Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony unveiling new achievements in Iran’s nuclear industry, Eslami said there must be a clear and defined protocol allowing inspections of nuclear sites that come under attack, criticizing the IAEA for failing to establish guidelines for such scenarios.

He noted that the agency neither condemned the aggression against Iran’s nuclear facilities nor issued any procedural framework addressing inspections following attacks, emphasizing that the lack of action undermines any claim by the IAEA to inspection authority in such cases.

Eslami further stated that if the agency possesses clear operational frameworks for inspecting Iranian nuclear installations, it should formally submit them to Tehran for review.

The Iranian official also dismissed political pressure exerted by the European troika, Germany, France, and Britain, alongside the United States and "Israel", stressing that such pressure is inconsequential and does not influence Iran’s policies.

Iran has repeatedly pointed to Western and "Israeli" politicization of international nuclear oversight mechanisms, while insisting on its right to pursue a peaceful nuclear program under international law.

Eslami's remarks came after IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that the organization has resumed limited inspections in Iran following months of heightened tensions, but key nuclear sites remain off-limits

Speaking to RIA Novosti, Grossi said access was limited to facilities not hit in the June 2025 attacks, noting they are still part of the accepted inspection list.

However, he stressed the importance of regaining full access, adding: "But of course these three others also [Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan], and they are more important in the sense that they hold, they still hold lots of nuclear material and equipment, so we need to return."

After "Israel’s" unprovoked attacks on its nuclear facilities in June 2025, which sparked a 12-day war, Iran restricted IAEA access and passed laws requiring Supreme National Security Council approval for all future inspections.

Meanwhile, Iran said it has not ended IAEA cooperation but will manage all requests through the SNSC, guided by national security.

On that note, Iranian officials denounced "Israel" of using IAEA data to target nuclear sites, with Mohammad Eslami noting that even the only lab built fully with the agency’s coordination was bombed.

Suspicious surveillance devices found in inspectors' shoes have also raised concerns in the Iranian parliament about intelligence leaks.

It is worth mentioning that a temporary Cairo agreement in September allowed limited IAEA inspections, but it collapsed in November after a US- and Europe-backed resolution demanded full access. Tehran rejected it, ending the agreement and insisting cooperation requires guarantees for its nuclear site safety.

During the 12-day war, "Israel" and the US launched unprecedented attacks on Iran’s civilian nuclear facilities, striking sites including the heavily fortified Fordo plant, Natanz enrichment plant, and Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center.

The "Israeli" airstrikes and US missile strikes targeted uranium enrichment, conversion, and fuel fabrication sites, as well as centrifuge manufacturing and research complexes, causing widespread damage despite international safeguards and radiological risks.