WorldPosted at: Nov 13 2026 5:41PM


IAEA warns it is unsure whether Iran has diverted declared nuclear materials, warns of heavy proliferation risks

Vienna, Nov 13 (UNI) The UN’s nuclear watchdog has warned that it cannot verify whether Iran has diverted declared nuclear material from peaceful activities, citing Tehran’s failure to cooperate with inspections and provide information about its nuclear facilities.
In a confidential report circulated to member states, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was unable to conclude that no nuclear material had been diverted from Iran’s declared nuclear programme.
The lack of information and access to facilities posed a “serious proliferation concern” that “needs to be rectified with the utmost urgency”, the report said.
The IAEA’s concerns also centre on an underground uranium enrichment facility at Isfahan, which Iran declared to the agency on June 12, 2025 but has not allowed inspectors to examine.
The facility, known as the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant (IFEP), was due to be inspected on June 13, 2025. However, the planned visit was cancelled after Israel and the US launched a 12-day bombing campaign against Iranian nuclear sites.
The strikes destroyed or severely damaged several of Iran’s enrichment facilities and targeted a tunnel network at Isfahan, where diplomats believe the new plant may be located.
“The Agency does not know IFEP’s exact location, status for safeguards purposes or whether it contains nuclear material,” the report said, adding that it was increasingly concerned that Iran had not provided access to the facility or its design plans.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in March that the agency believed a significant quantity of Iran’s most highly enriched uranium was located in the Isfahan tunnel complex.
Inspectors have not been allowed to return to any of the nuclear facilities damaged in the June 2025 attacks. The watchdog has consequently been unable to account for Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium or verify the status of its enrichment plants.
Before the strikes, the IAEA estimated that Iran possessed 440.9kg of uranium enriched to up to 60%, a level well above the 3.67% limit set by the now-defunct 2015 nuclear agreement and considerably closer to the approximately 90% enrichment required for weapons-grade material.
The agency has said it cannot verify the current status or location of that stockpile since losing access to the affected facilities.
The IAEA Board of Governors referred Iran to the UN Security Council in September over its failure to meet nuclear reporting obligations, marking the first such referral in two decades.
Iran has consistently denied seeking to develop nuclear weapons, maintaining that its programme is intended for peaceful purposes. However, its restrictions on inspections and uranium enrichment well beyond levels generally required for civilian applications have raised continuing concerns among Western governments and the watchdog.
The IAEA has urged Tehran to take gradual technical steps to restore access, saying the return of inspectors is essential to resuming normal safeguards monitoring.
“The director general encourages Iran to consider technical and gradual measures by which conditions are achieved that allow for the return of agency inspectors to Iran,” the report said, adding that such steps could pave the way for the full implementation of safeguards.
The watchdog reiterated that Tehran must provide information on the status of its enrichment facilities and highly enriched uranium stockpile, allow inspections at sites damaged in the attacks and account for the nuclear material previously declared.
UNI ANV CDS
Tags: #IAEA warns it is unsure whether Iran has diverted declared nuclear materials# warns of heavy proliferation risks
More News

Chinese vloggers mysteriously stop filming in Dhaka amid increased Bangladesh police surveillance; India has termed Chinese propaganda campaign ‘unfortunate’

13 Nov 2026 | 9:17 PM

Dhaka, Nov 13 (UNI) More than 150 Chinese nationals who were seen filming and livestreaming across neighbourhoods in Dhaka, particularly Uttara, have reportedly stopped their activities following increased surveillance by Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies. Some of the Chinese vloggers had reportedly been portraying parts of Dhaka as New Delhi and making disparaging remarks about the living conditions of local residents.

see more..

China warns US against further restrictions on chip exports post Nvidia scandal

13 Nov 2026 | 9:14 PM

Beijing, Nov 13 (UNI) China has warned the US against imposing additional export restrictions on semiconductors, following the recent Nvidia scandal which resulted in the resignation of former CEO Jensen Huang with calls emerging in Washington for tighter controls concerning technology export.

see more..

US envoys push for greater European participation in next round of Ukraine war peace talks, Moscow yet to confirm

13 Nov 2026 | 6:43 PM

Washington, Nov 13 (UNI) US special envoy Jared Kushner has said Russia and Ukraine have agreed in principle to include European representatives in the next round of negotiations aimed at ending the war, although Moscow has yet to formally confirm its position.

see more..

North Korean hackers stole more than $400mn in cryptocurrency via fake video calls reveal US authorities

13 Nov 2026 | 6:13 PM

Pyongyang/Washington, Nov 13 (UNI) North Korean state-sponsored hackers have stolen more than $400m in cryptocurrency by using fake video calls to deceive victims and install malicious software on their devices, according to US authorities.

see more..

IAEA warns it is unsure whether Iran has diverted declared nuclear materials, warns of heavy proliferation risks

13 Nov 2026 | 5:41 PM

Vienna, Nov 13 (UNI) The UN’s nuclear watchdog has warned that it cannot verify whether Iran has diverted declared nuclear material from peaceful activities, citing Tehran’s failure to cooperate with inspections and provide information about its nuclear facilities.

see more..