Iran says enriched uranium stockpile under rubble after US strikes

“Iran's threatening activities, finance and recruitment, has tripled for the last three years to the extent that there have been people in security associated with Iran who have been accused of spying for Iran," a security source told Iran International on condition of anonymity.

"For Iran, creating something in Jordan is important -- even if on a small scale.”

The source added that even after the official crackdowns earlier this year after a widely publicized raid uncovered a weapons cache initially attributed to the Muslim Brotherhood - a longtime political party in Jordan which was then banned.

Jordan at the time said it had arrested 16 people accused of manufacturing short-range missiles, possessing explosives and automatic weapons, concealing a ready-to-use missile and illegally recruiting and training militants.

Banned Brothers

The Muslim Brotherhood is a century-old pan-Arab movement opposed to Western influence and the erosion of religiosity in public life.

In Jordan its members have long held a significant influence in parliament and public life while its offshoot in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories is the Iran-backed armed group and political party Hamas.

“Hamas and Hezbollah were involved for money and training in Beirut,” the security source said. “Those training them were Palestinians from Hamas while Hezbollah facilitated the sites and expertise.”

“Iran wanted to created a front in Jordan as a backup to losing south Lebanon, before that happened last year,” the source added, referring to the weakening of Hezbollah following a punishing military campaign against the group last year.

'Iran influence on rise'

“It’s not a secret that the negative influence of Iran is still on the rise,” said another security source, saying that Jordanian citizens also perceive an increased threat.

“Public opinion in Jordan shows that the main threat to Jordanian national security 20-30 years ago was Israel but today it is Iran, and has been for the last 5-6 years,” he said.

In April last year, following an Israeli strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus, the security head of the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kata'ib Hezbollah. Abu Ali al-Askari said the group was "prepared to arm the Islamic Resistance in Jordan" with supplies for up to 12,000 fighters.

Their goal, he said, was to "defend the Palestinians and avenge the honor of Muslims" by targeting Israel, saying the group would start by "cutting off the land route that reaches the Zionist entity," referring to the Jordan-Israel border.

The perceived threat has seen Israel enhance its border security with Jordan in addition to carrying out a surprise drill for its forces in August, simulating a ground invasion from the Jordanian border.

“Weapons from Iran have also continued to be smuggled into Jordan and on to the West Bank from Syria," the security source added.

Friend of my enemy

Tehran continues to defy Amman, which it sees as an ally of Iran’s arch-enemies the United States and Israel, and a senior Jordanian official said protests through diplomatic channels have proven futile.

“We told them (Iran) they cannot fly their missiles over Jordan, but they did anyway,” the official said.

“They (Iran) don’t listen. We said they can fly over Syria, but they are adamant and have little regard for the consequences. This is a country that thinks they should be the masters of the Middle East.”

While the official said that Iran had lost influence in the region after military setbacks to its regional armed allies and a June war with Israel and the United States, the threat to Jordan abides.

“The desire and will is there to focus on Jordan because they lost cards with Hezbollah and Syria, but their ability has somewhat weakened. On the borders with Syria they’d love to do more damage but they lost a lot of their operatives there and Syria isn’t friendly to them.”

Grossi had announced Tuesday that Tehran would grant inspectors access to nuclear sites. But Araghchi quickly walked it back, saying it was only “a one-time access to the Bushehr Power Plant that had been granted earlier.”

He added that any future agreement depended on halting “hostile actions against Iran, including activation of the trigger mechanism.”

The mixed signals captured Iran’s familiar pattern: apparent concessions abroad, followed by dismissive clarifications at home.

Araghchi himself has a record of burnishing his toughness after negotiations.

In 2014, he claimed he had shouted at US negotiators and thrown his pen at Wendy Sherman; the tale was later debunked, with witnesses recalling a calm exchange and even small talk about grandchildren.

Reasons for optimism

Despite Araghchi’s backtracking, many in Tehran saw Grossi’s visit as a sign Iran may be edging toward engagement.

With the snapback of international sanctions due in less than ten days, moderates urged the government to seize the moment.

Khabar Online called the Cairo deal “a first step to stop the snapback and pave the way for constructive negotiations with the United States.”

Reformist Rouydad24 and conservative Farhikhtegan alike said “Iran appears to be taking a new approach.”

That chorus grew louder on Sunday.

Prominent reformist Behzad Nabavi told Etemad that “a change in paradigms” is needed, insisting “wisdom calls for negotiations with the United States.” Former lawmaker Ali Motahari went further, urging President Masoud Pezeshkian to meet Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Missed Openings

The precedent is shaky.

In 2000, President Mohammad Khatami was moments from a handshake with Bill Clinton before hardliners stopped him; he reportedly ducked into a bathroom to avoid the encounter.

In 2013, Hassan Rouhani’s brief phone call with Barack Obama drew a public rebuke from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Both moments revealed how even modest steps toward dialogue can be reversed in Tehran.

Araghchi’s Cairo reversal echoed past retreats and left many questioning whether Tehran can commit to real engagement. Skeptics argue that optimism will always be checked by the system’s instinct for resistance.

News of the Grossi agreement briefly pushed the dollar below one million rials on Tuesday, only for it to rebound above one million and ten thousand by Wednesday. Traders complained of volatility, while regional insecurity after Israel’s strike in Doha added to the pressure.

Even the markets seem unsure which way Iran is heading.

Howard Solomon, the acting US envoy in Vienna, told the IAEA’s Board of Governors that Iran had “ceased implementing its most basic and fundamental obligations under its safeguards agreement.” He said the board should be “extremely concerned by this near-complete and prolonged loss of required information and access.”

“Iran does not get to pick and choose when and how to implement its legally binding safeguards obligations,” Solomon said. “If Iran’s failure to cooperate with the IAEA continues … this Board will need to be prepared to take further action to hold Iran accountable.”

He noted the agreement announced on Tuesday in Cairo between IAEA chief Rafael Grossi and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi but stressed: “Immediate and concrete action by Iran is both essential and urgent.”

EU backs Grossi but demands safeguards access

The European Union also welcomed the Cairo accord but said Iran must now deliver full cooperation. “We take positive note of the DG’s statement that this is a step in the right direction. We look forward to further details and to the immediate implementation of the agreement,” the EU said in a statement.

It warned that “the proliferation risk remains profound and urgent,” citing IAEA data that Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% had exceeded 440 kg — “more than 10 significant quantities.”

“We call on Iran to immediately enable the full resumption of the Agency’s in-field verification activities, the conduct of which must be in line with the standard safeguards practice and is therefore non-negotiable,” the EU said.

E3 warn of sanctions clock

The remarks came after France, Germany and Britain told the agency they were “alarmed” by the lack of clarity on Iran’s near-bomb-grade uranium stockpile. “It is not enough for Iran to make promises for tomorrow, we need to see evidence from Iran today,” the E3 said in an open letter.

The three countries last month triggered the UN snapback mechanism, which could restore global sanctions at the end of September unless a new Security Council resolution extends relief.

Grossi described the Cairo agreement as “a step in the right direction,” saying it covered inspections at all declared facilities, including those damaged in June’s strikes. Araghchi, however, said the deal “does not currently allow inspectors into nuclear sites,” and access would be defined only in later talks.

Parliament pushes back

Hosseini-Kia’s remarks reflect a broader backlash in parliament, where lawmakers say the Cairo accord ignores legislation suspending cooperation with the agency. National Security and Foreign Policy Commission member Mohammadreza Mohseni-Sani said inspectors have “no right” to enter Iran until nuclear sites damaged in June’s US and Israeli strikes are restored. “If the 30-day snapback period ends with sanctions restored, we will pursue and approve a plan to leave the NPT,” he warned.

Calls for tougher measures

Some lawmakers have gone further, arguing Iran should no longer limit itself to peaceful nuclear work. Ahmad Bakhshayesh, also on the security commission, told state media Iran should build a bomb because it has already “paid the costs” in the 12-day conflict. “We should have built it long ago,” he said. “We should have built it without leaving the NPT.”

Parliament is already considering a bill to withdraw from the treaty, though former nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi has said only Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei can make that decision.

Former officials urge caution

While hardliners demand confrontation, Salehi has struck a different note. The former atomic energy chief called the Cairo accord “positive and a step forward” but warned time is short. “Opportunities are like passing clouds,” he said. “The longer it takes, the more complicated the problem will become.”

‘Cursed agreement’ denounced

Even those who stop short of calling for a bomb or leaving the NPT have used sharp words. Hardline lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian described Araghchi’s Cairo accord as a “cursed agreement.” On X, he accused Grossi of being “the spy and the cursed one, who caused the martyrdom of hundreds of our commanders, scientists and compatriots.”

Pattern of hostility toward Grossi

The latest attacks on Grossi build on threats voiced earlier this summer. In July, deputy judiciary chief Ali Mozaffari said Grossi could face trial in absentia for “deceptive actions and falsified reports” that Iran claims enabled strikes on nuclear facilities. At the time, a hardline newspaper even called for his execution.

Those comments drew condemnation from Britain, France and Germany, which expressed “full support” for Grossi and the IAEA. European powers last month triggered the snapback mechanism, giving Tehran until later in September to comply or face restored UN sanctions.

Government defends Cairo deal

Despite the criticism, Araghchi insists the Cairo agreement safeguards Iran’s interests. He said it “recognizes Iran’s legitimate security concerns” but “creates no access.” Any inspections, he explained, will only be discussed after Iran submits reports in later talks

“I’ve always believed we should have built it long ago. I’ve always supported building a nuclear bomb because we’ve already paid the costs for it,” national security committee member Ahmad Bakhshayesh told state media on Tuesday.

Bakhshayesh argued that nuclear-armed China is a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and that Iran should have taken the same path long ago.

“We should have built it without leaving the NPT,” he added. “We’ve been entangled in this nuclear issue in our country for 25 years now.”

Beijing acceded to the NPT in 1992 but conducted its first nuclear weapons test in 1964. China is one of the five recognized nuclear-weapon states under the agreement, alongside the US, Russia, the UK, and France.

NPT debate in Tehran

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful.

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom last month triggered the so-called "snapback" mechanism within a 2015 international nuclear deal to which they are party along with Iran, giving Tehran 30 days to comply with the agreement or face restored international sanctions.

Calls have grown inside Iran to withdraw from the NPT in response.

A bill to exit the agreement is under review in the Iranian parliament. Some lawmakers argue the legislature can pass the measure on its own, while former nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said the ultimate decision rests with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

'No inspection yet'

UN nuclear chief Raphael Grossi on Wednesday inked a deal to pave a way forward on resuming cooperation with Iran alongside its foreign minister Abbas Araghchi at a ceremony in Cairo.

Araghchi later told state TV that the Cairo agreement “recognizes Iran’s legitimate security concerns" and does not by itself reopen facilities to inspectors.

The three European powers said on Wednesday they were alarmed by the lack of clarity on Iran's stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium and that Tehran must show not claim if it wanted to avoid more sanctions.