Iran Rejects Vance Claim of UN Inspectors at Bombed
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- Iran's Foreign Ministry said on June 23, 2026 that UN IAEA inspectors would not be allowed to access nuclear sites bombed during last year's war with Israel and the US.
- Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said there was no meeting planned with the IAEA director general and 'basically no protocol' for inspecting the damaged facilities.
- US Vice President J.D. Vance said Monday that Iran would allow inspectors back, calling it 'a major milestone... and the first step in permanently denuclearising' Iran, following talks in Switzerland mediated by Pakistan and Qatar.
- US forces bombed three nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — during a 12-day war in June 2025 that the US later joined after Israel struck first.
- Iran's parliament passed a law in July 2025 suspending IAEA cooperation; Tehran agreed in September to resume under a new framework that explicitly did not cover the bombed sites.
- Israel said it was 'not aware of a strike' on Natanz in the most recent war, contradicting Iran's claim that the site was hit again.
- Donald Trump claimed last year to have 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear programme, though the extent of the damage remains unknown and the only body that could verify it has been locked out.
Why it matters: Iran's public contradiction of a sitting US vice president within 24 hours of his denuclearization announcement undermines Trump's stated diplomatic win and keeps the bombed facilities — the only ones whose condition could verify nuclear status — beyond IAEA reach. With Trump's 'obliterated' claim now visibly unsubstantiated and no inspection protocol in place, the verification mechanism for any future deal effectively does not exist.
