Lack of nuclear inventory data poses risk to any new Iran deal – WSJ

Major gaps in international knowledge of Iran’s nuclear material and infrastructure could undermine any new agreement between Tehran and Washington, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing diplomats and nuclear experts.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has lost “continuity of knowledge” regarding key parts of Iran’s nuclear program, including its stockpile of centrifuges and components, according to the report. Iran has restricted monitoring since 2021 and stopped sharing footage from surveillance cameras at sensitive sites.

“Implementing a new deal without having a clear inventory of what nuclear material and infrastructure Iran currently has would be extremely risky,” the report said.

“Without that baseline, it is next to impossible to ensure that Iran is complying with detailed limits on its nuclear enrichment under a deal.”

Rebuilding a full picture of Iran’s nuclear assets could take up to six months, diplomats told the Journal, a timeline that complicates efforts to meet the two-month deadline reportedly set by the Trump administration for securing a deal.