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IAEA suspects that Iran may have concealed part of its nuclear program

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi

18 February 2026 23:31 (UTC +04:00)

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suspects that Iranian authorities may have concealed part of their nuclear program or its objectives from it. Rafael Grossi, the director general of the international organization and a candidate for the post of UN Secretary-General, stated this in an interview with Foreign Policy magazine, APA reports.

He noted that the agency currently sees no direct evidence that Iran is producing nuclear weapons. "We've said that, on the one hand, there's nothing to indicate they're pursuing that path, but at the same time, there are all these factors that raise concerns. We've asked Iran to grant us full access," Grossi noted.

According to him, Tehran denied inspectors expanded access to its nuclear facilities. "We had access to some sites, but there were several things we discovered—traces of enriched uranium in places that were not related to the nuclear program at all. Clearly, something was being hidden. So there were some questions, but what happened, happened. We can't rewrite history. The IAEA has always been extremely objective," he said.

"It's clear that the accumulation of highly enriched uranium at such a level [60%], while not prohibited in itself, raised many questions because there was no clear, immediate, practical use for it. This, combined with all the remaining unanswered questions and restrictions [on access for IAEA inspectors], raised suspicions. Now the situation has changed. Everything has changed because there was a war," Grossi concluded.