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Plot Thickens on Damaged Iranian Sites

Perhaps IAEA inspectors are (or will be) walking around the outsides of the damaged sites of Fordow, Esfahan and Natanz. If so, it is a nice gesture of cooperation by Iran, while it won’t provide anything much regarding the status of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles. On that matter, today’s reports in the Israeli press are a bit conflicting. But they provide other useful information about what is going on and about the September 9 Cairo agreement between Iran and IAEA. Here are highlights. 
        The Jerusalem Post reported on Sept 11, 2025, based on reports by AFP, that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during a television interview on September 11: “All of our material is under the rubble of the bombed facilities" and it has now become inaccessible. Araghchi added that the IAEA was currently examining the sites. 
        But The Times of Israel on Sept 12, 2025, reported that in the televised interview Thursday [September 11] Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi said ‘The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran was assessing the condition and accessibility of the material at the damaged sites in order to submit a report to the country’s Supreme National Security Council.’ ‘Araghchi further elaborated that the agreement distinguishes between nuclear facilities that were attacked during the war and others which were unharmed, such as the Bushehr reactor in the south. Access to undamaged facilities will be “considered case by case by the Supreme National Security Council.” For the targeted facilities “For now no action is taken until Iran carries out the necessary measures related to environmental and safety concerns.” 
        We recall that Stephanie Liechtenstein (AP) reported, back on September 4, that the latest IAEA Iran report states that, with regard to the damaged sites, Iran “undertook to provide the Agency with a report ‘up to one month after the finalization of this Arrangement [on September 9].” After the submission of such a report, Iran and the IAEA would negotiate a new arrangement for cooperation. 

        Was that enough to satisfy the E3 and the U.S. so they did not push through new action by the IAEA Board of Governors at this week’s meeting? The absence of reporting suggests that to be the case. Now comes the IAEA General Conference next week, another playground or battlefield in the Iran nuclear conundrum.

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