The head of the United Nations nuclear agency indicated on Wednesday that Iranian nuclear enrichment sites will be visited by his inspectors, a key component of the interim agreement between the United States and Iran, despite Tehran’s denial that any visit has been scheduled.International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Mariano Grossi made the remarks from the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.“I can understand political statements, they are part of the reality, but the fundamental thing I want to remind you and draw your attention to is that there is a memorandum of understanding signed by both presidents,” Grossi told reporters. “It’s going to happen.”“The agreement clearly states that nuclear activities carried out in relation to nuclear material facilities will be monitored by the IAEA – in all letters,” he said.“Whether it’s the day after tomorrow or in a week or 10 days, it’s important, but not essential,” he said.
Contradictory statements of America and Iran
The comments come as the US and Iran made conflicting comments about whether those sites would be inspected. On Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai told reporters in Tehran that UN inspectors were not scheduled to investigate nuclear sites bombed by the US last year, echoing comments made a day earlier by US Vice President JD Vance.However, US President Donald Trump insisted on Tuesday that Iran had “completely agreed” to allowing nuclear inspectors to return. “Iran has fully agreed to the highest level of future nuclear inspections (INFINITY!!!),” Trump posted on Truth Social. “This will insure ‘nuclear integrity’.”Later in the day, Trump told reporters that IAEA inspectors would be on the ground “at the appropriate time”, and suggested that Tehran was “wrong” to say that no visit was scheduled. “If they were right, I would cancel the meetings right now,” he said.Since Israel launched a 12-day war on Iran in 2025, Tehran has blocked the IAEA from visiting enrichment sites where the Islamic Republic is believed to store enough enriched uranium to potentially make 10 nuclear weapons. Iran has said its program is peaceful, although it is the only country in the world without a weapons program to have uranium enriched to 60% purity.The IAEA has been allowed to visit other nuclear sites in Iran, such as the Bushehr nuclear power plant, since the 2025 war. But without access to the enrichment sites, the IAEA says it is unable to verify the status of Iran’s stockpiles or examine the cascade of centrifuges used to enrich uranium.The US and Iran agreed to a deal last week that calls for Tehran to reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium and waive US-backed sanctions on the country, while giving each side 60 days to reach a broader agreement.