Nuclear watchdog increasingly concerned about Iranian enrichment plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is reportedly increasingly concerned about an underground uranium enrichment plant at Isfahan. According to a confidential report seen by CBC News, Iran declared the facility to the watchdog last year but has still not permitted inspections. The agency stated it does not know the plant's exact location, its status for safeguards purposes, or whether it contains nuclear material.

The agency has been unable to determine if any nuclear material has been diverted from peaceful activities. Rafael Grossi, the IAEA chief, noted in the report that it has been more than a year since the agency lost continuity of knowledge regarding previously declared inventories of highly enriched uranium. Haaretz reports that Grossi stated in March that the agency believes a significant amount of Iran's most highly enriched uranium is located in the tunnel complex at Isfahan.

The National UAE reports that agency monitors have been barred from viewing Iran's uranium enrichment sites since joint strikes conducted by the US and Israel in June of last year. While US President Donald Trump claimed those strikes "obliterated" Iran's nuclear programme, it remains unclear what occurred to the more than 400kg of near weapons-grade enriched uranium the agency estimated Iran had produced prior to the attacks.

Brief written by urgent.news from Haaretz, CBC News, The National UAE — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.