IAEA chief says Iran nuclear site inspections will happen despite US-Tehran conflicting claims

The head of the UN’s nuclear agency signaled on Wednesday that Iranian nuclear enrichment sites would be visited by his inspectors, a key component in the interim deal between the United States and Iran, despite Tehran’s denial that any visit has been scheduled.International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Mariano Grossi made the comments 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 would like to remind you and draw your attention to is that there has been a Memorandum of Understanding, signed by both presidents,” Grossi told journalists. “This is going to happen.”The accord “explicitly states that the nuclear activities that are going to be carried out with regards to the nuclear material facilities will be supervised by the IAEA — in all letters,” he said.“Whether this happens the day after tomorrow or in one week or in 10 days, it’s important, but not essential,” he added.

Contradictory statements from US, Iran

The comments come as the US and Iran offered conflicting remarks about whether those sites would be inspected. On Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that UN inspectors were not scheduled to examine nuclear sites bombed by the US last year, rejecting comments made a day before by US Vice President JD Vance.US President Donald Trump, however, insisted on Tuesday that Iran had “fully and completely agreed” to allow nuclear inspectors to return. “Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!! ),” Trump posted on Truth Social. “This will insure ‘Nuclear Honesty.'”Later in the day, Trump told reporters that IAEA inspectors would be on the ground “at the appropriate time,” and suggested Tehran was “wrong” to say no visit had been scheduled. “If they were right, I’d cancel the meetings right now,” he said.Since Israel launched a 12-day war on Iran in 2025, the IAEA has been blocked by Tehran from visiting enrichment sites where the Islamic Republic is believed to store enough highly enriched uranium to potentially build as many as 10 nuclear weapons. Iran has maintained its program is peaceful, though it is the only country in the world to have uranium enriched up to 60% purity without a weapons program.The IAEA has been allowed to visit other nuclear sites in Iran since the 2025 war, such as the Bushehr nuclear power plant. But without accessing the enrichment sites, the IAEA says it is unable to verify the status of Iran’s stockpile or check the cascades of centrifuges used to enrich uranium.The US and Iran agreed to a deal last week that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of enriched uranium and waives US-backed sanctions on the country while giving each side 60 days to hammer out broader agreements.