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IAEA chief says inspectors will visit nuclear sites under Iran-U.S. interim deal

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By The Associated Press International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi speaks during a news conference at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Japan, on Wednesday.
− Kyodo News/via AP hide caption TOKYO — The head of the U.N.'s nuclear agency signaled Wednesday that Iranian nuclear enrichment sites would be visited by his inspectors, a key component in the interim deal between the United States and Iran to reach an end to the war.
+ Kyodo News/via AP hide caption TOKYO — The head of the U.N.'s nuclear agency said Wednesday that Iranian nuclear enrichment sites would be visited by his inspectors as part of the interim U.S.-Iran deal to reach an end to the war. An Iranian diplomat instead insisted any such visit would only come after a final deal.
− Middle East conflict What you need to know about the preliminary U.S.-Iran agreement signed by Trump The comment by International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Mariano Grossi was the firmest yet from the United Nations agency, which is viewed as key in determining the status of Iran's nuclear stockpile.
+ Middle East conflict What you need to know about the preliminary U.S.-Iran agreement signed by Trump The comments echoed contradictory remarks about nuclear inspections a day earlier from the U.S. and Iran. During the week since the two countries signed the deal, their leaders have repeatedly disagreed in public about what that document actually means.
− Since Israel launched a 12-day war on Iran in 2025, the IAEA has been blocked by Tehran from visiting enrichment sites where the Islamic Republic is believed to store enough highly enriched uranium to potentially build as many as 10 nuclear weapons, should it choose to rush for the bomb.
+ International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Mariano Grossi on Wednesday acknowledged the "war of words" over Iran's nuclear program.
− Iran long has maintained that its program is peaceful, though it is the only country in the world to have uranium enriched up to 60% purity without a weapons program.
+ But the dueling narratives are playing out on several fronts, including Israel's war with Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and how Tehran will spend billions of dollars once unfrozen.
− The U.S.
+ Hanan Qubaisi on Wednesday inspects her house destroyed in previous Israeli airstrikes in the town of Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
− and Iran offered contradictory remarks Tuesday about whether those sites would be inspected.
+ Bilal Hussein/AP hide caption Through the signing of the memorandum of understanding, the U.S.
− Grossi acknowledged the contradictions, calling it a "war of words" at the moment.
+ and Iran agreed to a 60-day period to iron out these and other details. Until that happens — during private talks — leaders from both countries will also continue to negotiate in public, raising the risks of derailing the shaky ceasefire in the region.
− "I can understand political statements, they are part of the reality, but the fundamental thing I would like to remind you and draw your attention to is that there has been a Memorandum of Understanding, signed by both presidents," he told journalists at a news conference at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The accord "says explicitly that the nuclear activities that are going to be carried out with regards to the nuclear material facilities will be supervised by the IAEA — in all letters," he said. Grossi added: "Obviously, to do that, we will have to inspect.
+ The fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, a threat to the U.S.-Iran diplomacy, flared on Wednesday.
− Whether this happens the day after tomorrow or in one week or in 10 days, it's important, but not essential.
+ Israel launched an airstrike that killed two people in southern Lebanon, the country's state-run news agency said.
− This is going to happen." Those inspections are key for the deal, which calls for Iran's stockpile of uranium to be "downblended" from highly enriched levels.
+ It was Israel's first airstrike on Lebanon since the latest ceasefire took effect on Saturday. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike.
− There was no immediate reaction from Iran.
+ Middle East conflict The U.S.
− On Tuesday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that U.N.
+ and Iran agree to a 'road map' for a final deal, mediators say Since Israel launched a 12-day war on Iran in 2025, the IAEA has been blocked by Tehran from visiting enrichment sites.
− inspectors were not scheduled to examine nuclear sites bombed by the U.S.
+ The Islamic Republic is believed to store enough highly enriched uranium to potentially build as many as 10 nuclear weapons, should it choose.
− last year, rejecting comments made a day before by U.S.
+ Iran maintains that its program is peaceful, though it is the only country in the world to have uranium enriched up to 60% purity without a weapons program. Grossi's remarks were the firmest yet from the United Nations agency, which is central to determining the status of Iran's nuclear stockpile. "I can understand political statements, they are part of the reality, but the fundamental thing I would like to remind you and draw your attention to is that there has been a memorandum of understanding, signed by both presidents," he said at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. State of the World from NPR World Cup firsts for Iran and Uzbekistan The accord "says explicitly that the nuclear activities that are going to be carried out with regards to the nuclear material facilities will be supervised by the IAEA — in all letters," he said. "Obviously, to do that, we will have to inspect," Grossi said.
− Vice President JD Vance.
+ "Whether this happens the day after tomorrow or in one week or in 10 days, it's important, but not essential. This is going to happen." The deal calls for Iran's uranium to be "downblended" from highly enriched levels.
− The IAEA has been allowed to visit other nuclear sites in Iran since the 12-day war in 2025, such as the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
+ Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian deputy foreign minister, took a swipe at Grossi after his remarks, saying Tehran didn't meet with him while in Switzerland. "These issues will be reviewed and decided only within the framework of a final agreement and as a result of practical action by the other side to end all sanctions and other measures." Gharibabadi wrote on X. He added: "You cannot advance the 'stir up and take over' policy with media hype." The IAEA has been allowed to visit other nuclear sites in Iran since the 2025 war.
− But without accessing the enrichment sites, the IAEA says it is unable to verify the status of Iran's stockpile or check the cascades of centrifuges used to enrich uranium.
+ But without accessing the enrichment sites, the IAEA says it can't verify the status of Iran's stockpile.
− Both Iran and the IAEA say Tehran hasn't been enriching uranium, but nonproliferation experts worry that the Islamic Republic may be moving its stockpile to undeclared areas.
+ Both Iran and the IAEA say Tehran hasn't been enriching uranium, but nonproliferation experts worry the Islamic Republic may be moving its stockpile.
The U.S.
− and Iran agreed to a deal last week that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of enriched uranium and waives U.S.-backed sanctions on Iranian oil, while giving each side 60 days to hammer out broader agreements.
+ and Iran agreed to the deal last week that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of enriched uranium and waives U.S.-backed sanctions on Iranian oil.
− Middle East conflict The U.S.
+ But the uneasy ceasefire already has been tested by Iran saying it closed the Strait of Hormuz again over fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel's defense minister said Wednesday the U.S.
− and Iran agree to a 'road map' for a final deal, mediators say But the uneasy ceasefire already has been tested by Iran saying it closed the strait again over fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.
+ has not demanded that Israel withdraw from Lebanon.
− Violence again broke out in Lebanon on Tuesday, but it did not escalate.
+ Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu later declared that "as long as I am Prime Minister, we will maintain the security zone in southern Lebanon." Lebanese and Israeli officials are meeting this week in Washington as part of direct negotiations between the two countries, through which Lebanon hopes to reach a plan for Israeli withdrawal.
Technical-level talks between the U.S.
− and Iran are expected to resume early next week at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
+ and Iran are expected to resume early next week in Switzerland, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Pakistan has been a key mediator.
− Grossi's remarks came as U.S.
+ The interim deal also includes a pledge to unfreeze billions in Iranian assets.
− Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the Persian Gulf for a three-nation tour, beginning with a closed-door meeting and private working lunch in Abu Dhabi with Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the State Department said Wednesday.
+ U.S. President Donald Trump wants that money to go toward buying American-grown crops, but Iranian officials say they should decide how its spent.
− Rubio is scheduled to travel next to Kuwait and then Bahrain for meetings with their leaders later Wednesday and Thursday.
+ U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said his department would have people in Qatar to oversee what happens with the funds. He said in a CNBC interview that Iran would spend "a very large percent" of its released money on "U.S. foodstuffs and medicines." "We will be recycling the money back into U.S. products," Bessent said.
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+ U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah share a word on the occasion of their meeting at Bayan Palace during Rubio's visit to the Middle East to discuss the interim deal between the U.S. and Iran with Arab Gulf allies, in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Wednesday. Eric Lee/Pool Reuters via AP hide caption U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled in the Persian Gulf for a three-nation tour, starting with a meeting in Abu Dhabi with Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the State Department said Wednesday. "We're not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies," Rubio later said while in Kuwait, where the Trump administration announced the limited reopening of the U.S. Embassy that was closed at the height of the Iran war. Before leaving for Bahrain, Rubio said ongoing negotiations include the creation of "hundreds of specific areas" where Lebanon's military could secure its territory. He called the discussions part of the process and said it's not going to "happen overnight." Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor