UN watchdog 'increasingly concerned' over Iran nuclear site

The UN's nuclear watchdog has said it is "increasingly concerned" about a nuclear facility in Iran which it has not been allowed to inspect. Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of plans to set up the uranium enrichment plant in the city of Isfahan a day before Israel began attacking its nuclear sites last June. The US joined the strikes later that month.

In a report seen by news agencies, the IAEA said 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. Under a 2015 nuclear deal, Iran agreed to limit its enriched uranium stockpile to 300kg and enrichment to 3.67% purity.

It subsequently exceeded both. The nuclear complex at Isfahan suffered extensive damage in US and Israeli strikes, particularly the parts above the ground. The condition of its underground facilities is not clear.