The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has confirmed that its inspectors have returned to Iran for the first time since Israeli and US strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities earlier this year. The announcement marks a cautious step toward reviving stalled nuclear monitoring after months of heightened tensions.
Iran had suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in June following a bloody 12-day conflict with Israel. Tehran justified the suspension by pointing to the IAEA’s silence over the strikes on its nuclear facilities, which Iran argued undermined the agency’s neutrality.
However, speaking to Fox News’ The Story, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi confirmed that “the first team of IAEA inspectors is back in Iran, and we are about to restart.” Grossi emphasized that while some Iranian nuclear facilities had been attacked and others remained intact, discussions were ongoing to establish “practical modalities” to ensure the resumption of monitoring activities.
The timing of the IAEA’s return coincides with renewed diplomatic engagement between Iran and European powers. On Tuesday, Tehran met representatives from Britain, France, and Germany in Geneva in an effort to avert the looming threat of international sanctions. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who participated in the talks, urged the European countries to “make the right choice and give diplomacy time and space.”
The three European powers — all signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — have repeatedly warned Iran that they could trigger the deal’s “snapback mechanism” by the end of August.
This mechanism would reinstate broad UN sanctions that had been lifted under the accord, unless Iran rolls back its uranium enrichment activities and restores full cooperation with the IAEA.
The Geneva talks were the second such round since the June war, which began after an unprecedented Israeli attack on Iran. The conflict not only derailed already fragile negotiations between Tehran and Washington but also strained Iran’s relations with the IAEA. Iran continues to insist its nuclear program is peaceful, rejecting Israeli claims that it seeks to develop a nuclear weapon.
The JCPOA has remained in jeopardy since 2018, when then-U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew unilaterally from the agreement and reimposed sanctions on Iran. With the European trio now threatening to reinstate international sanctions, the return of inspectors may prove a crucial test of whether diplomacy can still salvage the deal and prevent further escalation.
