International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi has said inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities will resume, despite Tehran publicly denying that any inspection framework has been agreed upon.
Speaking on Wednesday, Grossi said renewed inspections were necessary under the US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 and indicated that the process would begin soon.
Earlier, in an interview with Japanese broadcaster NHK, Grossi said the IAEA's immediate priority would be to verify the location of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. He said Tehran would need to disclose where the material is being stored. "We think that the sooner the better, especially since this agreement has a time frame of 60 days, so we will have to be working without losing much time," Grossi said.
The IAEA chief added that the agency has an indication of where the uranium may be located, although some storage facilities were damaged during recent attacks and would need to be assessed before inspections could proceed.
Grossi said the agency would soon discuss inspection schedules and logistical details with Iranian authorities, while emphasising the IAEA's independence in carrying out its mandate.
However, Iran has rejected suggestions that an inspection programme is already in place.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Tuesday that Tehran had not held any meeting with Grossi and that no framework currently exists for IAEA inspections of nuclear facilities damaged in recent US and Israeli strikes.
The comments contradict statements by senior US officials. Vice President JD Vance recently said Iran had agreed to allow IAEA inspectors back into the country, describing it as a major milestone.
US President Donald Trump also said Iranian officials had agreed to extensive nuclear inspections in the future, despite what he described as public statements from Tehran suggesting otherwise.