By SCM Staff Writer I Wednesday, Nov.19.25
TEHRAN – International nuclear inspectors are BACK in Iran after a tense months-long standoff that followed devastating military attacks on the rogue state’s atomic facilities in June.
The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, confirmed the dramatic return, telling a board meeting: “IAEA ‘inspectors are BACK in Iran’.”
But the sensational return has a terrifying catch—Iran is only letting the inspectors snoop around the UNTOUCHED facilities.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief revealed his team has “carried out inspections at facilities unaffected by June’s attacks.”
This means the key, and potentially most dangerous, sites targeted in the strikes are STILL OFF LIMITS to the nuclear detectives.
The move marks a limited, but significant, step towards restoring monitoring after Tehran slapped a ban on full inspections following the attacks, which were widely attributed to the US and Israel.
Grossi is now begging for “more engagement to restore full inspections”, highlighting the world’s growing anxiety over what Iran is hiding inside its battered nuclear heartlands.
The return of the inspectors comes at a crunch time for global security:
The June Attacks: Iran’s nuclear programme was thrown into chaos after a series of military strikes—believed to be from the US and Israel—rocked key facilities, including the main enrichment sites like Natanz and Fordo.
Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade material, sparking panic across the West.
The Stand-off: Following the attacks, Iran partially suspended its co-operation with the IAEA, citing security concerns. This left the world flying blind, unable to fully verify the status of Iran’s sensitive enriched uranium stockpiles—material that could be used to build a bomb.
The Urgency: The IAEA wants access to the attacked sites to verify the damage and, crucially, to check Iran’s inventories of Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) and High Enriched Uranium (HEU). Until Grossi’s inspectors get full access, the world cannot be sure of the true size or nature of Iran’s nuclear arsenal post-attack.
