IAEA chief calls for “very robust” inspections as new Austrian intelligence suggests Iran regime’s nuclear weapons program is active and advancing.
As diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran’s regime inch forward, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has called for any future nuclear agreement to be backed by stringent, verifiable inspections.
Grossi’s statement comes amid a Fox News Digital exclusive revealing that Austrian intelligence agencies now assess Iran’s nuclear weapons program to be well-advanced—contradicting U.S. intelligence assertions.
Grossi: Inspections Must Be “Very Robust”
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Grossi made it clear that any new agreement between Iran and world powers must not rely on trust alone.
“If you have that type of agreement, a solid, very robust inspection by the IAEA … should be a prerequisite,” Grossi said, adding that verification would be essential to ensuring Iran’s compliance.
He stopped short of insisting that Iran re-implement the Additional Protocol—a key provision of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that enabled surprise inspections at undeclared sites—but acknowledged that such measures provide practical benefits. Since the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018, Iran’s regime has not only ceased adhering to the Protocol but has also enriched uranium up to 60% purity, dangerously close to the 90% required for weapons-grade material.
While Grossi emphasized that the IAEA is not formally part of the ongoing negotiations, he confirmed regular contact with both parties, including U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“I don’t see the discussion as being about legal norms to be applied,” Grossi noted. “I tend to see this as more of an ad hoc approach.”
Still, the IAEA chief believes a resolution is not out of reach, saying, “There’s always a way. It’s not impossible to reconcile the two points of view.”
Fox News Exclusive: Austria Contradicts U.S. Intelligence on Iran’s Nuclear Intentions
In a significant development, Fox News Digital has published an exclusive report detailing new findings from Austria’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The Austrian agency claims Iran’s regime is actively pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities and has developed ballistic missiles capable of delivering warheads over long distances.
“The Iranian nuclear weapons development program is well advanced,” the Austrian report states, adding that Tehran is aiming to “make the regime immune to attack and expand and consolidate its dominance in the Middle East and beyond.”
This stands in direct contradiction to the March testimony of U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Iran is not currently building a nuclear weapon and that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not reversed the suspension of the program initiated in 2003.
According to intelligence documents reviewed by Fox News, Iran’s regime has also built sophisticated sanctions-evasion networks, which are said to be benefiting both its own ambitions and Russia’s.
Expert Analysis: Is U.S. Intelligence Lagging Behind?
Nuclear expert David Albright, founder of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, told Fox News that the U.S. intelligence community may be relying on outdated frameworks.
“The ODNI report is stuck in the past, a remnant of the fallacious 2007 National Intelligence Estimate,” Albright said, noting that both German and British intelligence assessments contradict the American position and align more closely with Austria’s latest findings.
Albright added that European agencies have long tracked Iran’s efforts—both before and after the JCPOA—to illegally obtain nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons technologies.
A Web of Regional Threats
The Austrian report also underscores Iran regime’s role as a state sponsor of terrorism. It accuses Tehran of providing weapons to groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syrian militias. The report also highlights the presence of Iranian intelligence operatives within Vienna’s large Iranian regime’s embassy, which it claims disguises espionage activities as diplomacy.
In a particularly chilling reminder of Iran regime’s reach, the report references the 2021 conviction of former Iranian diplomat Asadollah Asadi, who plotted to bomb a 2018 opposition rally near Paris—a gathering attended by tens of thousands of Iranian dissidents and U.S. figures including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
U.S. Officials Silent as Questions Mount
Fox News Digital reports that neither the U.S. State Department nor the National Security Council has responded to requests for comment on the Austrian findings. A White House official, however, reiterated that “President Trump is committed to Iran never obtaining a nuclear weapon or the capacity to build one.”
With such starkly different intelligence assessments emerging, and as Iran’s enrichment activities continue unchecked, Grossi’s call for verifiable, unrestricted inspections may be the only bridge between a nuclear deal and a looming crisis.
