 "Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said his country will not attend the summit. Reuters")
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday dismissed reports of any covert uranium enrichment facilities, insisting that all of Iran’s nuclear sites remain under UN monitoring.
His comments came after US media outlets, including the Washington Post and the New York Times, reported expanded construction at a secret underground site known as “Pickaxe Mountain” or Kuh-e Kolang near Natanz — a site Iran has never acknowledged.
“There’s no undeclared nuclear enrichment facility in Iran; all of our facilities are under the safeguard and monitoring of the agency,” Araghchi said at a forum in Tehran. He added that “no enrichment” is taking place currently because Iran’s sites were damaged during the recent war with Israel.
War damage and stalled nuclear talks
The mid-June conflict began after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on Iran, triggering a 12-day war that also saw the US carry out limited strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The fighting derailed nuclear talks that had resumed in April, with Washington and Tehran still divided over Iran’s right to enrich uranium — which Araghchi again described as “undeniable” and “inalienable”.
Iran says its facilities were heavily damaged and that enriched material remains buried under rubble.
Araghchi’s remarks come ahead of a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors.
Iran warns IAEA over possible resolution
At the same forum, Iranian officials warned the IAEA against adopting any resolution targeting Iran. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said: “In case of a resolution, Iran will consider a review of its relations with the IAEA and will conduct a fundamental review.”
After the war, Iran suspended cooperation with the agency and restricted inspector access to bombed sites, accusing the IAEA of bias. A cooperation framework agreed in September later collapsed after Britain, France and Germany triggered the return of UN sanctions previously lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, which formally expired in October after years of erosion following Washington’s withdrawal during President Donald Trump’s first term.