Departure follows Tehran’s suspension of cooperation with UN atomic agency and rising threats against IAEA leadership.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on Friday that it has withdrawn its inspectors from Iran due to safety concerns. The move comes after Iran suspended cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog earlier this week.
“An IAEA team of inspectors today safely departed from Iran to return to the Agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict,” the agency wrote in a short statement.
According to the Wall Street Journal, IAEA personnel left Iran by road on Friday, despite the resumption of international flights from the country. The inspectors, who had been confined in Tehran since June 13 following an Israeli attack, had been unable to access nuclear facilities for nearly three weeks.
Sources cited by the Wall Street Journal indicated that the inspectors were initially lodged at a hotel in the capital, with some later possibly relocating to a UN site. Since the June incident, Iranian rhetoric against the IAEA has intensified, including death threats reportedly directed at IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi from Iranian lawmakers and regime-affiliated media.
With the inspectors’ departure, international oversight of Iran’s nuclear activities has significantly diminished. While Western and Israeli intelligence agencies continue to monitor developments and the IAEA retains access to satellite imagery, the on-ground presence critical for direct inspections has ceased.
The current situation raises concerns over Iran’s compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which mandates regular inspections and prohibits the development of nuclear weapons. Historically, IAEA teams had conducted frequent checks at Iran’s enrichment facilities to ensure no diversion of material for military purposes.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful applications. President Donald Trump stated Thursday that Iran is seeking to resume nuclear negotiations, although no official response has been issued by Tehran.
