UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The head of the U.N. nuclear agency said Tuesday that there is no indication that Iran has attempted to repair or rebuild its nuclear reactor. damaged nuclear installations in American and Israeli military strikes this year or last year.
President Donald Trump said that one of main reasons why the United States entered the war with Iran on February 28 was to deny Tehran the ability to develop nuclear weapons, although it insisted that US-led strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 “wiped out” the country’s atomic program.
At a UN Security Council meeting, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi urged Iran to allow inspectors access to all nuclear sites, including those damaged in military attacks. The IAEA has not been able to verify Iran’s status. stock of uranium close to military quality since the United States bombed their sites last year.
However, Grossi said that “since June 2025, we have not identified any repair or reconstruction activities for facilities damaged during the 2025 and 2026 military attacks.”
Trump has systematically minimized the economic impact of the war in Iran, which proved to be a handicap for the Republicans in the run-up to next week’s midterm electionsand argued that higher fuel prices are worth paying to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. The White House did not immediately respond Tuesday evening to a request for comment on Grossi’s remarks.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful. However, the IAEA says the country has a stockpile of 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity – a small technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
The UN meeting on Tuesday was convened by Bahrain, Denmark, Latvia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States after IAEA refers Iran to Security Council for not having respected its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. Russia and China, Iran’s allies, tried in vain to prevent the meeting.
By virtue of these obligations, which form part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation TreatyIran is legally required to declare all nuclear materials and activities and allow IAEA inspectors to verify that none of them are diverted from peaceful uses.
Iran’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Gholamhossein Darzi, attacked the Council for its silence after the US-Israeli attacks, denouncing their “wars of aggression against Iran” and accusing the United States of committing war crimes against the Iranian people.
He never mentioned the unanswered questions from the IAEA or the request for the return of its inspectors. Instead, he asserted that “Israel has nuclear weapons, but your concern is the absence of inspectors in Iran.” Israel has never confirmed that he possesses nuclear weapons.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz called Iran a “brutal dictatorship” and asked if the Iranian ambassador would like to apologize to Bahrain’s envoy, a council member, for attacking his country.
“We have heard from tireless allegations against the United States, ” he said. “What we have not heard today is an explanation of Iran’s continued failure to meet its safeguard obligations.
The IAEA has demanded answers from Iran, Waltz said, and it would be wise for the Iranian representative to begin providing answers.
“Your lies are worthless here,” he said.
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