The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has called for an immediate halt to hostilities in the Middle East and urged Iran to grant renewed access to its nuclear facilities following joint U.S. and Israeli strikes.
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), made the appeal during an emergency meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors in Vienna on Monday.
“Iran, Israel, and the Middle East need peace,” Grossi stated, warning that the region is at a critical juncture. “To achieve that, we must return to dialogue. As a first step, Iran must allow IAEA inspectors to re-enter its nuclear sites and verify its uranium stockpiles—especially the 400 kilograms enriched to 60 percent.”
Grossi revealed that Iran had sent a letter on June 13 indicating the implementation of “special measures” to protect its nuclear assets, but stressed that the agency currently lacks full access to assess conditions on the ground.
“Hostilities must cease to ensure the safety of our inspectors and to create conditions under which proper monitoring can resume,” Grossi added.
The remarks come just days after the United States bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities, joining Israel’s ongoing campaign targeting Iran’s missile infrastructure, military leadership, and nuclear program.
Grossi confirmed that satellite imagery now shows visible craters at Iran’s Fordow enrichment site, where uranium is refined to near-weapons-grade levels. “The use of ground-penetrating munitions appears to have inflicted significant structural damage,” he noted, though he cautioned that the full extent of the underground damage remains unknown.
Iran’s nuclear programme has long been a source of global concern, with Western nations accusing Tehran of pursuing atomic weapons under the guise of civilian use—a claim Iran firmly denies.
Grossi reiterated the IAEA’s role as the key guardian of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and emphasized that diplomatic solutions are urgently needed to prevent a deeper crisis.
