IAEA finds no major nuclear shift in Iran after 3-month war

The U.N. nuclear watchdog found no major changes to Iran's nuclear program in its first assessment since U.S. and Israeli airstrikes began three months ago, a confidential report seen by Reuters shows.

The assessment comes as the United States and Iran hold negotiations over Iran's enriched uranium stockpile — a central sticking point in ending the conflict the U.S. and Israel launched in late February 2026 to prevent Iran from building an atomic bomb.

The United States and Israel launched the campaign in late February 2026, saying the strikes were aimed at stopping Iran from building an atomic bomb. The IAEA circulated its findings as confidential reports to the agency's 35-nation Board of Governors ahead of a quarterly meeting, Reuters reported.

Since a previous Israeli bombing campaign in June 2025, Iran has not disclosed the fate of its low- and highly enriched uranium stocks. Among the unaccounted-for material is uranium enriched to 60 percent purity — a short step from the roughly 90 percent level required for weapons-grade material.

The IAEA has been unable to return to bombed nuclear sites to verify those stockpiles for nearly a year. "The Agency's lack of access to verify the previously declared HEU and LEU, for nearly a year – which is long overdue according to standard safeguards practice – is a matter of proliferation concern and of compliance with the NPT Safeguards Agreement," the report said, according to Reuters.

The agency also renewed its calls for Iran to comply with international treaty obligations. "The (IAEA) Director General has emphasized to Iran that it is indispensable and urgent to implement effectively the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) Safeguards Agreement ... and that its implementation cannot be suspended by Iran under any circumstances," the report seen by Reuters said.

On the situation at Iranian facilities struck in the war, the report warned: "The Agency's loss of continuity of knowledge over all previously declared nuclear material at affected facilities in Iran needs to be addressed with the utmost urgency," Reuters reported.

Negotiations between the United States and Iran are continuing, with discussions including whether Iran would surrender its uranium stockpile as part of any agreement to end the conflict, Reuters reported.

The IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors is expected to address the Iran nuclear file at its quarterly meeting, as member states weigh the significance of the sustained oversight gap.