SAEDNEWS: The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency has sparked global concern by declaring his agency has lost track of enriched uranium inside Iran, just days after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
According to Saed News, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), announced in a revealing interview with Fox News that the agency currently has no knowledge of the whereabouts of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles. His remarks come in the wake of claims by Iranian officials that the material was relocated as part of precautionary steps ahead of the recent U.S. strikes on key nuclear facilities.
Grossi previously speculated that approximately 900 pounds of enriched uranium had been moved to a former storage location near Isfahan. However, when pressed on the matter in his recent interview, he clarified: “We must be precise. We are the IAEA—we do not speculate. We have no information about the location of these materials.”
Iranian authorities, according to Grossi, have indicated that they enacted protective measures, which may or may not have included relocating the material. Nonetheless, the lack of clear information has raised alarm in diplomatic and nuclear watchdog circles.
Grossi further emphasized the urgency of restoring inspections “as soon as possible,” noting that accountability for every gram of uranium is a core part of the agency’s mission. He also dismissed claims that the agency’s stance reflected bias against Iran, saying, “This is not about discrimination—this is about transparency and international responsibility.”
This growing mistrust surfaces amid a volatile backdrop. On June 12 (23 Khordad), Israeli forces launched a brazen assault on Iranian territory, striking Tehran and other cities including nuclear sites, in what Iranian officials have labelled a gross violation of international law. The attack claimed the lives of scientists, military personnel, and civilians.
The crisis deepened when, on June 22 (1 Tir), the United States launched direct strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, effectively aligning itself with Israel’s military campaign. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, invoked Article 51 of the UN Charter to assert Iran’s right to defend its national interests and population.
In a bid to de-escalate, the IAEA convened an emergency Board of Governors meeting in Vienna. The session underscored international anxiety, with members urging respect for international law, preservation of the non-proliferation regime, and a return to diplomatic engagement.
The IAEA’s current inability to track enriched uranium inside Iran is not merely a bureaucratic lapse—it is a flashpoint in an already unstable geopolitical landscape, with nuclear transparency hanging in the balance.
