Tehran — Iran has firmly rejected Western media claims that it has reached a nuclear inspection agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), underscoring its right to defend national sovereignty against politicized pressure from the West.
Officials in Tehran made clear that no final deal has been struck with the agency, dismissing what they described as misleading narratives circulated by Western outlets to manufacture the illusion of Iranian concessions. The clarification followed a confidential IAEA report shared with member states, which foreign media quickly spun into premature claims of progress.
Since the June 13 attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities were widely seen in Tehran as acts of sabotage designed to weaken its negotiating hand, IAEA inspectors have only been permitted access to the Bushehr nuclear power plant. Iranian officials note that Bushehr is of no proliferation risk and insist that its inspection illustrates Tehran’s transparency on purely civilian facilities.
The real concern, they argue, is not Iran’s nuclear activity but Western attempts to politicize the IAEA. By inflating technical details into alarmist talking points, Washington and its allies seek to pressure Iran into granting intrusive access that no sovereign state would accept under the shadow of aggression.
Figures cited in the IAEA’s confidential report show Iran holding 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent as of June 13, a modest increase of 32.3 kilograms since May. Tehran stresses that its enrichment program remains within peaceful bounds and is conducted under strict national oversight. Yet the agency’s failure to acknowledge the impact of hostile strikes, or its silence on Israel’s clandestine arsenal, has further damaged trust.
Rafael Grossi, the IAEA’s director general, has openly pressed Tehran to agree “as early as this week,” insisting that “it’s not something that can go on for months on end.” Iranian officials view such statements as political posturing, designed to rush Tehran into decisions on terms that must be approved by the country’s Supreme National Security Council.
That council, empowered by law to oversee foreign inspection requests, symbolizes Iran’s determination to ensure its nuclear program cannot be dictated by Western capitals. Parliament’s legislation suspending cooperation with the IAEA is seen by analysts in Tehran as a natural defensive step against external meddling, not an obstacle to transparency.
Diplomats acknowledge that the real crisis stems from the West’s unwillingness to respect Iran’s sovereignty. The collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal, triggered by the United States’ unilateral withdrawal, remains the defining breach of trust. Until Washington reverses its destructive policies, Tehran argues, no amount of technical negotiation can restore credibility to the IAEA’s role.
According to Mehr News, Iranian authorities stressed that Western reports exaggerating the status of inspections are baseless. The outlet noted that access has been restricted to Bushehr, a site with no proliferation relevance, and emphasized that Tehran continues to exercise sovereign control of its program. Those IAEA figures were taken before the June strikes, proving the agency has no updated or reliable data on Iran’s stockpile.
In its coverage, Reuters highlighted Grossi’s push to finalize an agreement “as early as this week” and his complaint that talks cannot remain “open-ended.” The report acknowledged that Iran’s law now requires Supreme National Security Council approval for any inspections, a safeguard Tehran insists is necessary after repeated violations of its security and rights by hostile powers.
