IAEA says access to Iran's nuclear facilities depends on US-Iran talks

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that its access to Iranian nuclear facilities depends on negotiations between the United States and Iran, according to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi. “At the moment, that access has not been possible. But here, I think we need to realise the fact that this is, I would say, connected or dependent in a sense, even unofficially, but in reality, it is influenced… by the negotiations that are ongoing between the United States and Iran around the memorandum of understanding,” Grossi told RIA Novosti. On 18 June 2026, Iran and the United States remotely signed a memorandum guaranteeing an end to the military conflict that began on 28 February. The document also set a deadline for the US to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports and for Iran to restore shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Following US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, Iran restricted its cooperation with the IAEA and access to its nuclear sites, stating that all decisions regarding interaction with the organisation are made by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.