From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Iran hasn’t attempted to repair nuclear facilities damaged in US and Israeli strikes — IAEA chief
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UNITED NATIONS — The head of the UN nuclear agency says there has been no indication Iran has tried to repair or reconstruct its nuclear facilities damaged in US and Israeli military strikes this year or last year.
US President Donald Trump has said one of the major reasons the United States went to war with Iran on February 28 was to deny Tehran the ability to develop nuclear weapons, even as he has insisted that strikes the US carried out on Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 “obliterated” the country’s atomic program.
During a UN Security Council meeting, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi urges Iran to give inspectors access to all nuclear sites, including those damaged in the military attacks. The IAEA has not been able to verify the status of Iran’s stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium since the US bombed its sites last year.
However, Grossi says that “since June 2025, we have not identified any activity to repair or reconstruct any of the facilities damaged in the military attacks of 2025 and 2026.”
Trump has consistently downplayed the economic impact of the Iran war, which has emerged as a liability for Republicans heading into next week’s midterm elections, and has argued that higher fuel prices are worth paying to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. The White House doesn’t immediately respond Tuesday evening to a request for comment on Grossi’s remarks.
The Times of Israel Community.