Western Powers Push IAEA for Answers on Iran’s Nuclear Sites

Europe’s leading powers and the United States have submitted a new draft resolution to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors, urging Iran to immediately clarify the status of its bombed nuclear sites and provide full access to inspectors. The proposal, introduced by France, Germany, Britain and the U.S., is expected to pass quickly, according to diplomats familiar with the matter. It follows a recent IAEA report that criticized Iran for withholding access to key locations struck by Israel and the United States in June, as well as failing to account for enriched uranium stocks.

The IAEA report noted that Iran has still not disclosed the condition of those sites or provided information on uranium enriched up to 60% purity—close to weapons-grade levels of around 90%. The draft resolution calls on Tehran to give inspectors immediate access and deliver complete data on nuclear material and safeguarded facilities. While the text does not formally accuse Iran of violating its obligations, Tehran has already warned that any resolution targeting it will trigger retaliation, describing the move as a “major mistake.”

Although Western diplomats insist the resolution is primarily technical—designed to guide future IAEA reporting following the expiration of a mandate linked to the 2015 nuclear deal—it also includes language criticizing Iran’s lack of cooperation and pushing for a diplomatic path forward. Notably, it urges Iran to fully implement the Additional Protocol, a measure granting the IAEA greater oversight, including surprise inspections at undeclared locations. Iran signed the protocol in 2003 but never ratified it, and it abandoned its implementation after the U.S. withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018.

The resolution also requests detailed updates on Iran’s uranium stockpile storage and centrifuge inventory—information the IAEA can no longer independently verify since Iran limited inspector access in 2021. With tensions rising and oversight weakening, the latest push reflects growing international concern over Iran’s accelerating nuclear activities.