Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Mar 18, 2026

Iran says IAEA nuclear report ‘not fair and balanced’

Iran says IAEA nuclear report ‘not fair and balanced’

The IAEA said it still had questions regarding undeclared nuclear material previously found at three Iranian sites.

Iran has said that a report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog on undeclared nuclear material found at three sites was “not fair”.

“Unfortunately, this report does not reflect the reality of the negotiations between Iran and the IAEA,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters on Tuesday, referring to a report issued the previous day by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“It’s not a fair and balanced report,” he said, adding: “We expect this path to be corrected.”

The IAEA said it still had questions which were “not clarified” regarding undeclared nuclear material previously found at three sites – Marivan, Varamin and Turquzabad.

It said its long-running efforts to get Iranian officials to explain the presence of nuclear material had failed to provide the answers it sought.


The UN nuclear watchdog also said Monday that it estimated Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium had grown to more than 18 times the limit laid down in Tehran’s 2015 deal with world powers.

In another report, the IAEA said that it “estimated that, as of May 15, 2022, Iran’s total enriched stockpile was 3,809.3 kilograms”.

The limit in the 2015 deal was set at 300kg of a specific compound, the equivalent of 202.8kg of uranium.

The report also says that Iran is continuing its enrichment of uranium to levels higher than the 3.67 percent limit in the deal.

The latest reports came as talks to revive a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers remain deadlocked after stalling in March.

The agreement had given Iran relief from crippling economic sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities designed to prevent it from developing an atomic bomb – an ambition it has always denied.

Former United States President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of the pact in 2018 and reimposed biting sanctions on Tehran, prompting Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments.

One of the main sticking points is Tehran’s demand – rejected by Washington – that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, be removed from a US terrorism blacklist.

Iran saw an Israeli hand in the IAEA’s findings. “It is feared that the pressure exerted by the Zionist regime [Israel] and some other actors has caused the normal path of agency reports to change from technical to political,” Khatibzadeh said.

On Tuesday, Israel published what it said were Iranian documents showing that Tehran obtained IAEA files and used them to mislead nuclear inspectors in the early 2000s. The documents are from the 2018 trove stolen by the Mossad but this is the first time Israel makes them public.

The Wall Street Journal published a story last week on the existence of the documents and verified their authenticity. The story was sourced partly to “Middle East intelligence officials”.

“After Iran stole classified documents from the UN’s Atomic Agency, Iran used that information to figure out what the Atomic Agency was hoping to find, and then created cover stories and hid evidence to evade their nuclear probes,” Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement.

“So how do we know this? Because we got our hands on Iran’s deception plan a few years back. Iran lied to the world, Iran is lying to the world again right now, and the world must make sure that Iran doesn’t get away scot-free.”

The documents, however, are from the years 2004-2006 and do not cover the period during or after the nuclear deal was signed in 2015.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Supreme Court Urges Muslims to Observe Crescent Moon for Eid Determination
Saudi Supreme Court Urges Muslims to Observe Crescent Moon for Eid Determination
Saudi Arabia Reassesses Iran Strategy as Regional Conflict Tests MBS’s Diplomatic Bet
Iran Steps Up Drone Strikes on Saudi Oil Sites, Heightening Risks to Global Supply
Regional Fallout Grows as Iran Conflict Sends Shockwaves Across Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Seven Drones in Intensifying Regional Security Threat
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Seven Drones in Intensifying Regional Security Threat
Saudi Arabia Weighs Regional Risks as Iran Conflict Deepens and Security Calculations Shift
Gulf States Confront Limits of U.S. Protection as Regional War Intensifies
Gulf Producers Rush to Reroute Oil Exports as Iran Tightens Control of Hormuz Strait
Saudi Gaming Investment Arm Acquires Strategic Stake in Capcom to Expand Global Influence
Iran Intensifies Strikes on Saudi Oil Infrastructure as Regional War Escalates
Saudi Arabia Targets South African Professionals in New Recruitment Drive Amid Regional Uncertainty
Formula One Faces Major Financial Hit as Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix Cancelled Amid Middle East Conflict
U.S. and Saudi Firms Launch Local Production of Attritable Drone Systems in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia and UAE Warn Rising Gulf Tensions Could Endanger Regional Security
Saudi Arabia Rejects Claims It Encouraged Prolonged War With Iran
Saudi Arabia to Host World’s Largest Single-Cell Protein Plant as Food Security Push Accelerates
Saudi Crown Prince Urges Trump to Continue Military Pressure on Iran
Iran Intensifies Drone Campaign Against Saudi Arabia as Gulf Conflict Escalates
When Is Eid al-Fitr 2026? Saudi Arabia Awaits Moon Sighting to Confirm End of Ramadan
When Is Eid al-Fitr 2026? Saudi Arabia Awaits Moon Sighting to Confirm End of Ramadan
Iranian Missile Strike Damages Five U.S. Refueling Aircraft at Saudi Air Base
Iranian Missile Strike Damages Five U.S. Refueling Aircraft at Saudi Air Base
Washington State Pilot Among Six U.S. Airmen Killed in Military Aircraft Crash Over Iraq
Severe Storm Threat Looms Over Washington as Tornado Risk and Damaging Winds Target Mid-Atlantic
Trump Supports FCC Warning to Broadcasters Over Iran War Reporting
Trump Supports FCC Warning to Broadcasters Over Iran War Reporting
Saudi Stocks Edge Lower as Tadawul All Share Index Slips Slightly at Market Close
Iranian Missile and Drone Strike Targets Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base Hosting US Aircraft
Saudi Air Defenses Intercept Drone Over Eastern Province as Iranian Strike Campaign Intensifies
Middle East War Reshapes Gulf Economies as Saudi Arabia and Oman Gain Strategic Leverage While UAE Faces Economic Shock
Iranian Ambassador in Riyadh Blames ‘Enemies’ for Attacks Across the Gulf
Israeli Envoy Ron Dermer Reportedly Visits Saudi Arabia for Discussions on Potential Lebanon Talks
Formula One Cancels Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix Scheduled for April
Iran’s Ambassador in Riyadh Rejects Claims Tehran Targeted Saudi Oil Facilities
Saudi Arabia Declares 2026 ‘Year of Artificial Intelligence’ in Major Push for Data-Driven Economy
Saudi Arabia’s 2018 Budget Signals Strong Push for Non-Oil Economic Growth
Pakistan Envoy in Riyadh Says Regional Diplomacy Intensifying to Prevent Wider Middle East War
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Dozens of Drones as Regional Strikes Kill Two in Oman
Saudi Arabia Redirects Oil Exports to Red Sea Ports as Strait of Hormuz Tensions Escalate
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Missile and Drone Barrage as Regional Conflict Intensifies
Iran Expands Drone and Missile Campaign Across Gulf as Conflict With US and Israel Intensifies
Muslims Worldwide Await Saudi Moon Sighting to Confirm Eid al-Fitr 2026 Date
F1 Calendar Faces Major Disruption as Middle East Conflict Threatens Bahrain and Saudi Races
Trump Says Most US Aircraft Hit in Saudi Base Attack Suffered Minimal Damage
Trump Says Most US Aircraft Hit in Saudi Base Attack Suffered Minimal Damage
Strait of Hormuz Crisis Forces Saudi Arabia Into Major Oil Production Shut-In
Strait of Hormuz Crisis Forces Saudi Arabia Into Major Oil Production Shut-In
Saudi Arabia Slashes Oil Output as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Cuts Deep Into Gulf Revenues
×