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Iran Suspends Cooperation, and the Referral to the Security Council

Evidence rating: CONFIRMED for the suspension, the loss of access and the September 2026 board vote. Iranian accusations against the IAEA are reported as accusations.

The bombing did not end the nuclear question. It ended the inspections that were the only way to answer it. This page follows what happened to the IAEA's access after June 2025.

Iran shuts the door​

  • June 23–25, 2025. Iran's parliament outlined, then passed, a bill to suspend cooperation with the IAEA; Speaker Ghalibaf led the push (per the research captures).
  • Early July. President Pezeshkian approved the law. Foreign Minister Araghchi said inspections at the damaged sites were "meaningless" and could "possibly be malign in intent" (WikiLeaks, July 7, 2025). US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce called the suspension "unacceptable" (same).

Iran's accusations against the agency​

Iranian officials accused Grossi of "preparing the groundwork" for the strikes and of sharing the names of nuclear scientists who were then killed. Iranian sources claimed the agency "followed [Israel's] orders" in June 2025, based on documents not yet released. WikiLeaks also noted that the US data-analysis company Palantir had supplied tools to the IAEA since 2015, while also working with Israel's Ministry of Defense (WikiLeaks, July 7, 2025; sources list). These are allegations; no public document has proven them. They matter because they explain why Iran would not let inspectors back.

WikiLeaks also noted a fact Americans rarely hear: Israel "has never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and doesn't permit inspections, is believed to possess around 90 nuclear weapons" (same).

Access lost​

  • By the end of February 2026, Iran had ended IAEA access, and the IAEA stopped verification (as noted by ISIS, June 2026 and Michael Rothman).
  • By September 2026, Grossi said the agency had lost "continuity of knowledge" for more than a year over the enriched uranium at the bombed sites, "a serious proliferation concern" (Iran International, September 24, 2026).

So the war that was meant to settle whether Iran had a bomb program produced the one outcome that made the question impossible to check.

The referral​

In September 2026, the IAEA's board passed a resolution reporting Iran to the UN Security Council (Reuters; energynews.pro). Reuters noted the June 2025 finding it built on "predates the war" and concerned uranium traces at undeclared sites.

  • Iran's mission: "The current situation is created solely because of the criminal acts of aggression by the U.S. and Israeli regime. The delusional objective of the U.S. to force the great Iranian nation into 'surrender' and to plunder its oil will never happen" (Reuters).
  • Reza Najafi, Iran's representative in Vienna: a "political tool." "Iran will only cooperate to the extent that circumstances and security allow" (energynews.pro).
  • Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group: "some are motivated by genuine non-proliferation concerns," while "others see it as an opportunity to add legal pressure to the economic strangulation and naval blockade to tighten the noose on Iran." And: "it's a futile exercise: Russia and China will likely ensure that Western pressure hits a wall at the Security Council" (energynews.pro).

Reza Nasri summed up the dilemma the referral creates for the IAEA itself: "If he is right, the Board is referring a ruin. If he is wrong, he lied to justify a war" (Nasri, September 9, 2026).

Status: Abbas Araghchi, Masoud Pezeshkian, Tammy Bruce, Rafael Grossi, Reza Najafi, Ali Vaez and Reza Nasri are alive, as far as these sources show.

Sources​

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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