IAEA Criticized Over Iran Nuclear Dispute Amid Regional Tensions

In June 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under Director General Rafael Grossi faced criticism for allegedly enabling the U.S. and Israel to use the agency as diplomatic cover to justify military action against Iran, despite the IAEA's own findings that Iran had no nuclear weapons program. Concurrently, satellite images revealed Iran moving enriched uranium and nuclear materials from its Fordow facility just days before U.S. bombers struck three major Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, in an operation led by President Donald Trump. These strikes significantly damaged Iran's nuclear ambitions and challenged Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's regime, although Iran's leadership warned of potential retaliation and maintained some nuclear knowledge and materials could survive. The history of Iran's nuclear program traces back to U.S. assistance in the 1950s and the 2015 JCPOA agreement, which unraveled after the U.S. withdrew under Trump's earlier presidency, escalating tensions. Meanwhile, Iran’s narrative around its nuclear weapons program is complicated by the ambiguous religious fatwa by Khamenei, which forbids the use but not the development or enrichment of nuclear weapons, leaving open the possibility of future shifts depending on political circumstances. Diplomats are concerned about the removal and control of Iran’s nuclear materials, with skepticism about the IAEA's impartiality given its recent involvement and the ongoing conflict with Israel.