Iran hasn't attempted to repair nuclear facilities damaged in US and ...
Iran hasn’t attempted to repair nuclear facilities damaged in US and Israeli strikes — IAEA chief
UNITED NATIONS — The head of the UN nuclear agency says there has been no indication Iran has tried to repair or reconstruct its nuclear facilities damaged in US and Israeli military strikes this year or last year.
US President Donald Trump has said one of the major reasons the United States went to war with Iran on February 28 was to deny Tehran the ability to develop nuclear weapons, even as he has insisted that strikes the US carried out on Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 “obliterated” the country’s atomic program.
During a UN Security Council meeting, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi urges Iran to give inspectors access to all nuclear sites, including those damaged in the military attacks. The IAEA has not been able to verify the status of Iran’s stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium since the US bombed its sites last year.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article reports Grossi urging Iran to give inspectors access but leaves out two things he said at the same meeting. Inspectors left Iran for safety reasons after the military attacks began. The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran had also engaged constructively to arrange safeguards equipment for spent fuel. Without these points a reader may take the access gap as Iranian refusal alone.
How we know
- Anadolu Agency (English) reported“the agency had to withdraw all its inspectors from Iran by the end of June 2025 for safety reasons after military attacks began”UN nuclear watchdog chief urges Iran to grant IAEA access to verify nuclear material (opens in a new tab)
- Anadolu Agency (English) reported“the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran had engaged constructively with the agency to arrange the delivery of safeguards equipment”UN nuclear watchdog chief urges Iran to grant IAEA access to verify nuclear material (opens in a new tab)
However, Grossi says that “since June 2025, we have not identified any activity to repair or reconstruct any of the facilities damaged in the military attacks of 2025 and 2026.”
Trump has consistently downplayed the economic impact of the Iran war, which has emerged as a liability for Republicans heading into next week’s midterm elections, and has argued that higher fuel prices are worth paying to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. The White House doesn’t immediately respond Tuesday evening to a request for comment on Grossi’s remarks.
The Times of Israel Community.
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