AEOI: IAEA Access Hinges on New Inspection Protocol

By Staff, Agencies

Iran will not allow the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] to inspect nuclear facilities targeted by the United States and “Israel” until the agency drafts and formally approves a special protocol for inspecting sites subjected to military attacks, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran [AEOI] chief Mohammad Eslami said Wednesday.

Eslami said Iranian Parliament’s legislation now provides the legal framework for Tehran’s dealings with the IAEA and that Iran has formally notified the agency of its position.

He made the remarks during a ceremony unveiling four AEOI technological achievements.

Eslami distinguished between targeted and untouched facilities, saying the former had been registered with the IAEA and regularly inspected before the attacks, while the latter have undergone inspections required under Iran’s safeguards agreement.

However, he said inspections of bombed facilities cannot resume until the IAEA clarifies security arrangements and establishes a specific inspection protocol, which it has yet to do.

Iran also remains in a state of war, Eslami stressed, meaning the security situation around its nuclear sites cannot yet be considered stable.

He further said the US and “Israel” are pressuring Iran to allow IAEA access to the damaged facilities in an effort to assess their condition following the attacks.

Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf reiterated that Tehran will not permit access to damaged nuclear facilities, stressing that Iran will confront external pressure while strengthening strategic partnerships.

Referring to sites targeted by the US during last year’s 12-day war, he said Iran “will not allow, under any circumstances” access to them.

The dispute follows more than a year of worsening Iran-IAEA tensions, with Tehran denouncing the agency for providing cover for “Israeli” aggression and leaking sensitive data after a June 2025 censure.

Despite a brief reset through the Cairo Agreement, relations deteriorated again, with Iran suspending cooperation and accusing the IAEA of complicity as its nuclear sites came under attack, including four strikes on Bushehr that martyred a security personnel member.