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IAEA says inspectors could not verify new Isfahan enrichment site after attacks; most HEU was there
Summary
At a press briefing during the NPT review conference, IAEA Director-General DG Grossi said inspectors had been granted access to a newly declared enrichment facility in Isfahan but could not visit after air strikes began on June 13; he said the agency previously sealed roughly 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium at Isfahan and must return to verify conditions.
IAEA Director-General DG Grossi told reporters at an NPT review conference briefing that the agency was prevented from inspecting a newly declared enrichment facility in Isfahan because a planned visit coincided with air strikes.
Grossi said Iran had informed the IAEA it had a new enrichment facility days before the attacks and that access had been requested and granted; the inspection was due on June 13, the day the attacks commenced, so ‘‘we were not in a position to visit this place’’ and ‘‘we could not say at this point whether this place was simply an empty hole or a place where already cascades and centrifuges were being placed for operation.’’
Why it matters: Grossi told the Associated Press that the Isfahan complex is a large fuel‑cycle compound that holds a number of facilities related to conversion and enrichment and that ‘‘the majority of highly enriched uranium is at Isfahan.’’ He reiterated the agency’s need to return to verify material that was sealed previously; ‘‘last time we were there, it was 440 something kilograms, 900 pounds more or less, that was sealed by the IAEA,’’ Grossi said.
Context: Grossi said IAEA safeguards agreements include specific procedures for dealing with extraordinary circumstances and that verifying the condition and control of declared nuclear material requires on‑site access. He cautioned that access remains constrained by security conditions and that the agency has requested inspectors’ return when it becomes safe to do so.
What DG Grossi said: ‘‘We requested access to it, which was granted actually, and paradoxically, access was going to take place on June 13th, on the day the attacks commenced. So we were not in a position to visit this place.’’ He added the agency ‘‘cannot confirm’’ the present condition of highly enriched material until inspectors can go and verify.
Looking ahead: Grossi said the IAEA hopes inspectors can resume work at Isfahan when conditions permit so the agency can determine whether the facility contained installed cascades or remained empty and confirm the status of sealed material. No formal removal, transfer or chain‑of‑custody action was announced at the briefing.
The IAEA press briefing was conducted at the NPT review conference and closed after roughly an hour of questions from international media.
