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IAEA Chief Says Iran Deal Includes Strong Verification as Talks Begin
Rafael Grossi said Friday that Iran's commitment not to develop nuclear weapons requires robust monitoring under the recent U.S. deal. Talks with Tehran have only just begun after the preliminary agreement signed last week.
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Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Friday that Iran's pledge not to build nuclear weapons will require a very strong verification system as soon as practicable. Grossi spoke in Japan after the United States and Iran signed a preliminary deal last week to end the conflict that began in late February 2026.
The IAEA has barely initiated talks with Iran following the agreement, Grossi said.
Initial conversations have taken place and the agency expects the work to pick up soon. The deal specifies that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium should be downblended under IAEA supervision. Before the war the IAEA estimated Iran held 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent.
Grossi noted that an alternative to dilution could be shipping the material out of Iran, though that option would be more complicated. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Tehran had fully and completely agreed to allow UN inspectors to return. Grossi stated Wednesday that inspections of Iranian nuclear sites were going to happen.
Iran suspended cooperation with the IAEA last year after U.S. and Israeli attacks in June 2025. The dispute over nuclear access coincides with tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. On Wednesday an attack hit a cargo ship on the starboard side by an unknown projectile, damaging the bridge with no casualties reported.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting the Gulf that day, dismissed Iran's plan to introduce crossing fees and said the United States wants a deal but not at any price.
