The UN nuclear watchdog says Iran’s inventory of highly enriched uranium is “a matter of serious concern" as it has no visibility on the country's activities since Israeli strikes in June.
In a confidential report leaked to reporters on Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran's stock of near-weapons grade uranium increased almost eight percent before Israel attacked its nuclear facilities on June 13.
The report shows Iran had 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%, marking a 7.9% increase since the UN nuclear watchdog’s previous report in May.
"During this reporting period, the Agency lost continuity of knowledge in relation to the current inventories of nuclear material in Iran ...which urgently needs to be addressed," the report said.
It also confirmed for the first time that two of its inspectors took documents from the Fordow site back to Vienna, calling it an "error" that led to Iran withdrawing their designation.
"The incident did not involve any breach of confidentiality," IAEA asserted, lamenting Tehran's decision to bar the inspectors involved from returning to the country.
"While these pages contained some description of the interior of the facility, they did not include content that compromised the security of the facility," the report added.
'Can't wait for months'
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told Reuters on Wednesday that another round of talks with Iran is due in Vienna this week and emphasized the need to investigate and verify Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile.
"It’s not something that can drag on for months,” Grossi told Reuters. “It would be ideal to reach an agreement before next week."
Since US military strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites on June 22, IAEA inspectors have only accessed another site that was left unscathed - the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
Following Israeli and other military strikes on Iran, the Iranian parliament passed a bill imposing restrictions on inspection and access cooperation with the IAEA.
Any new cooperation mechanism must now be approved by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and no agreement for inspections or resumption of IAEA work has been reached.
"We have reminded our Iranian counterparts that domestic laws create obligations for Iran, not the IAEA," Grossi said.
Grossi stressed the need to investigate Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile, saying no evidence suggests significant movement of the material.
“I believe there is a general understanding that the material is likely still there, but it must be verified. Some could have been lost,” he said. “We have no indications of major material movement.”
Following the activation of the UN sanctions snapback mechanism by France, Germany and the United Kingdom last week, Tehran warned of an unspecified response.
Reza Salehi Amiri, minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts, said plans for recovery were underway amid the challenges posed by the war. “The policy we defined for after the recent war is the product of lengthy expert work in the ministry,” he said.
However, he said that recovery was contingent on broader security conditions. “Our forecast is that within the next six months, if stability is defined and threats removed, we can return to our previous program,” he said.
New visa hurdles
Iran’s foreign ministry enacted new restrictions on visitor entry in the wake of the war, the Travel and Tour World website reported last month. The rules ban individual travel, require official contracts with registered agencies, and oblige travelers to provide their hotel bookings and complete itineraries. A licensed guide must accompany tourists throughout their stay.
Visa applicants must also submit résumés, education records, travel history, and links to their social media accounts, with embassy reviews stretching up to three weeks, according to the outlet. In July, other industry websites circulated the same requirements, which took effect on August 1.
According to August figures, arrivals had already fallen 53 percent from the year before, the deputy tourism minister, Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpey, said, attributing the decline to the 12-day war and what he called a campaign of Iranophobia.
Industry strain
Hotel operators have likewise cited losses. Cancellations in western provinces had reached billions of rials, Jamshid Hamzezadeh, head of Iran’s hoteliers’ association, told state media in July.
“Travel has effectively fallen out of priority in many people’s lives,” he said.
Iran’s hotel industry faces challenges that long predate the war. Inflation and stagnant household incomes had already pushed travel out of reach for many families, concentrating spending on food and housing.
The country has also seen a downturn following international warnings from countries such as the US warning against travel to Iran citing fears of arbitrary detention, especially for dual nationals.
Salehi Amiri said last year that the ministry was planning to expand accommodation capacity. “We are obliged to open 100 hotels annually,” he said, adding that many of Iran’s 1,430 existing hotels fall short of international standards.
The discussion about building this number of hotels comes while, according to industry officials, the current newly built hotels do not even have the minimum number of guests to cover their expenses.
The newspaper Payam-e Ma criticized Salehi Amiri's remarks. "It would be better, since the minister himself has said that many hotels are not in a position to attract tourists, for the government to focus on standardizing existing hotels instead of opening new ones," he said.
The country, historically known for its rich cultural and historical heritage as well as its natural beauty, has struggled to attract foreign tourists in recent years. Despite its allure, the country faced challenges such as strict dress codes for women and restrictions on alcohol and nightlife.
Data from the Statistical Center of the Islamic Republic shows that the number of incoming tourists to Iran in 2023 was 6.4 million, up from 4.2 million in 2022, when the Woman, Life, Freedom protests rocked the country.
However, before the pandemic, the peak of foreign tourist arrivals to Iran was in 2018 and 2019, with 7.8 million and 8.8 million tourists entering the country, respectively.
