U.N. nuclear agency raises concerns over hidden Iranian facility

By Nathan Morley

The U.N. nuclear watchdog says it is increasingly concerned by Iran’s refusal to grant access to an underground uranium enrichment facility that Tehran has acknowledged exists.

According to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, obtained by newswire services, the agency does not know the exact location of the facility, its safeguards status, or whether nuclear material is being stored there.

The IAEA requested access to the site in February, but Iran declined. The request followed U.S. and Israeli missile strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, including the Isfahan complex, in June 2025.

The United States and Israel said the attacks were intended to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has consistently denied seeking such weapons, insisting its nuclear program is solely for peaceful civilian purposes.

In a September report, the IAEA said satellite imagery showed regular vehicle activity near the entrance to the tunnel complex at Isfahan. 

The agency believes some of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium may have been buried there following the June 2025 strikes.

Since the conflict began, Iran has restricted IAEA inspectors’ access to nuclear sites, preventing the agency from independently verifying the size and location of its enriched uranium stockpile.

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