UN Nuclear Watchdog Says It Sees No Effort to Rebuild Iran's Bombed Nuclear Sites, but Cannot Account for About 440 Kilograms of Enriched Uranium
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that inspectors have seen no repair work since June 2025 but lack access to most sites. Russia and China lost a vote to block the meeting; Waltz demanded Iran explain.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency gave the U.N. Security Council a mixed report on Iran on Tuesday, the Daily Caller reports.
The good news. Director General Rafael Grossi said, "Since June 2025, we have not identified any activity to repair or reconstruct" the nuclear facilities damaged in U.S. and Israeli strikes. The Daily Caller notes that matches earlier Pentagon and U.S. official statements. It cites Tulsi Gabbard's March testimony as director of national intelligence that Iran's enrichment program was "obliterated" and no attempt to restore it had been made, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's April claim that U.S. operations struck nearly 80% of Iran's nuclear industrial base.
The gap. Grossi said inspectors cannot verify where about 440 kilograms (roughly 970 pounds) of highly enriched uranium is. Before the 2025 attacks, a September 2025 IAEA report put Iran's stock of 60%-enriched uranium at about 440.9 kilograms. That level is close to the roughly 90% associated with weapons. The agency has lacked access to most Iranian sites since June 2025 and cannot confirm the material was not diverted. Grossi warned that remote monitoring "cannot replace" physical inspections. The Bushehr power plant is the exception, where inspectors still work.
The access request. Grossi asked specifically for access to the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant, which Iran announced on June 12, 2025. An inspection set for the next day was canceled when Israeli strikes began.
The vote and the speeches. Russia and China opposed holding the meeting, arguing the Council lacked grounds to revisit Iran's program. They lost an 11-2 procedural vote with two abstentions. Iran's deputy ambassador condemned the strikes and said its nuclear activity is peaceful. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz rejected that and demanded Tehran explain its failure to comply with inspections. Grossi urged Iran to cooperate and said a lasting solution needs credible verification, not military action alone.
Background. The IAEA Board referred Iran to the Security Council in September over safeguards violations, the report says. The U.S. launched another campaign against Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, with preventing a nuclear weapon as a central goal.
Note for readers: the account relies on the U.N. transcript as quoted by the Daily Caller. We have not read the transcript ourselves.