<\/p>\n
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi told the United Nations (UN) General Assembly that the technical foundations for a diplomatic agreement were already in place. \u201cThe bases on which a diplomatic agreement could be concluded exist,\u201d Grossi said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Grossi urged all parties to intensify diplomatic efforts, saying the resumption of inspections depended on negotiations restarting. \u201cThe return of inspectors requires a return to the negotiating table,\u201d Grossi said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Iran sharply restricted the IAEA\u2019s access following strikes against Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day conflict with Israel in June 2025.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The restrictions have limited the agency\u2019s ability to verify nuclear material and monitor developments at affected facilities.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The IAEA estimated in March that slightly more than 200kg of uranium enriched to 60% remained at Isfahan, with additional material located at Natanz.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Uranium enriched to 60% is substantially above the level generally used for civilian nuclear power, increasing international concern about Iran\u2019s nuclear activities.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The IAEA Board of Governors referred Iran\u2019s alleged non-compliance to the UN Security Council in September. Iran has disputed the finding.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Grossi warned that the international system designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons depended on sustained communication and cooperation. \u201cThe global non-proliferation regime depends on dialogue,\u201d Grossi said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Grossi pointed to the IAEA\u2019s work in Syria and Ukraine as examples of how technical engagement could continue despite conflict and political disagreements.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In Ukraine, the IAEA has helped broker eight localised ceasefires to allow damaged power lines at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to be repaired.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The agency has also deployed 287 missions since Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Zaporizhzhia remains under Russian control and has repeatedly lost access to external power supplies, raising continuing concerns about nuclear safety.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Grossi said renewed negotiations involving Iran would be essential to restore inspections, clarify the status of enriched uranium and strengthen confidence in the peaceful nature of the nuclear programme.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The IAEA is seeking sufficient access to verify Iran\u2019s declared nuclear material and ensure activities remain subject to international safeguards.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":37441,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-48943","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called for the swift return of inspectors to Iran, warning that restricted access is weakening the global nuclear non-proliferation system.","published_date":"","news_description":"The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called for the swift return of inspectors to Iran, warning that restricted access is weakening the global nuclear non-proliferation system.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/48943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/48943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48945,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/48943\/revisions\/48945"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=48943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}