Iran Reportedly Bans UN Nuclear Watchdog From Entering Country

According to a state-sponsored news agency in Iran, the Iranian government has decided to ban IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi from entering the country as well as any surveillance cameras at its nuclear facilities.

“Iran will no longer allow Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), or the installation of surveillance cameras at its nuclear facilities, a top Iranian lawmaker announced,” the Mehr news agency reported. “Hamid Reza Haji Babaei, Vice Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, said on Saturday that Iran’s decision stems from the discovery of sensitive facility data within documents obtained from the Israeli regime.”

The Kayhan newspaper, supervised by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, reportedly called for the arrest and execution of Grossi, writing, “It must be officially announced that upon entering Iran, he will be tried and executed on charges of spying for Mossad and participating in the killing of the oppressed people of our country.”

On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio blasted calls Iran for Grossi to be arrested and executed. “Calls in Iran for the arrest and execution of IAEA Director General Grossi are unacceptable and should be condemned,” Rubio wrote. “We support the lAEA’s critical verification and monitoring efforts in Iran and commend the Director General and the lAEA for their dedication and professionalism. We call on Iran to provide for the safety and security of IAEA personnel.”

Calls in Iran for the arrest and execution of IAEA Director General Grossi are unacceptable and should be condemned.

We support the lAEA's critical verification and monitoring efforts in Iran and commend the Director General and the lAEA for their dedication and professionalism.…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) June 28, 2025

On Friday, Grossi implied the necessity of the IAEA being allowed to check on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, saying, “They can have, you know, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that. … We don’t know where this material could be. So some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved. So there has to be at some point a clarification. … We need to be in a position to ascertain, to confirm what is there, and where is it and what happened.”