Iran says no IAEA inspections planned at US-bombed nuclear sites

Iran flatly contradicted US claims on Tuesday, saying there are no scheduled visits for International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to examine nuclear facilities struck by American airstrikes. The denial from Tehran’s foreign ministry put the two countries’ accounts on a collision course just days after Washington declared a diplomatic breakthrough in Switzerland.

Conflicting accounts from Tehran and Washington

US Vice President JD Vance said over the weekend that talks held in Switzerland had produced an agreement for the IAEA to access the bombed sites. But Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, told reporters Tuesday that no such visit had been arranged. “There is no visit scheduled,” Baghaei said, offering no further elaboration on what, if anything, was agreed during the Swiss negotiations.

The contradiction is significant. It’s not a minor miscommunication over dates or logistics — it goes to the heart of whether any real deal was struck at all.

What the US strikes hit

American forces carried out strikes on at least three major Iranian nuclear facilities, including the uranium enrichment sites at Fordow and Natanz, as well as the Isfahan nuclear complex. US officials described the strikes as successful in setting back Iran’s nuclear program by what some Pentagon sources estimated could be years. Iran has disputed the scope of the damage, though it hasn’t released independent assessments or allowed outside observers in to verify conditions on the ground.

So the question of IAEA access isn’t just procedural. It’s the only credible way the international community could get a clear picture of what’s actually left of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure — and how quickly the country might rebuild it.

IAEA’s role now under question

The Vienna-based agency has been in a difficult position since the strikes. Director General Rafael Grossi has repeatedly called for access to the affected sites, saying the IAEA needs to assess radiological safety conditions and verify the status of nuclear material that may have been at those locations. Still, Iran controls who gets in, and Tehran has a long history of delaying or restricting inspector access when it suits its interests.

Prior to the strikes, Iran had already been limiting IAEA monitoring activities. The agency reported in early 2025 that Iran had barred several experienced inspectors from the country, a move that drew sharp criticism from the US and European nations.

What happens next

Diplomatic sources in Geneva said Tuesday that back-channel conversations between Iranian and American representatives are continuing, though no new meeting date has been announced. European powers — France, Germany, and the UK — are pushing hard for an independent inspection to happen within the next two weeks, according to one senior European official familiar with the discussions.

Whether Iran ultimately agrees to any IAEA visit will likely shape the next phase of international pressure on Tehran, including whether new sanctions measures move forward at the UN Security Council. Both sides have incentives to appear cooperative. Neither has shown much of it yet.