UN watchdog ‘increasingly concerned’ over Iran nuclear site
According to a report seen by news agencies, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said it is increasingly concerned about a nuclear facility in Iran which it has not been allowed to inspect. Iran informed the IAEA of plans to set up the uranium enrichment plant in Isfahan a day before Israel began attacking its nuclear sites last June, with the US joining later that month. The IAEA stated it does not know the exact location or whether it contains nuclear material. Since the start of the latest war, Iran has restricted IAEA inspectors' access to its nuclear sites, preventing the agency from verifying its enriched uranium stockpile. The nuclear complex at Isfahan suffered extensive damage in US and Israeli strikes, particularly above ground, while the condition of underground facilities remains unclear. The IAEA believes much of Iran's highly enriched uranium was stored there. The US and Israel said they attacked Iran's nuclear sites to prevent it developing nuclear weapons, something Iran has consistently denied, stating its nuclear programme is for peaceful civilian purposes only.