The findings suggest that the trajectory of Tehran’s nuclear program has remained broadly unchanged since last summer, despite months of conflict involving the United States and Israel. The war, launched on February 28, has largely targeted conventional military infrastructure, though Israel has struck several nuclear-related facilities.

Analysts say the unchanged timeline reflects both the limited focus of recent U.S. operations on nuclear sites and the continued existence of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Significantly delaying the program would likely require neutralizing or removing this material, they said.Earlier intelligence assessments had concluded that Iran could produce sufficient bomb-grade uranium within three to six months.

Following U.S. strikes last year on key facilities including Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan, that estimate was extended to roughly nine to twelve months.The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, has said Iran’s existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium could be sufficient for multiple weapons if further processed.

However, inspectors have been unable to verify the location of part of this material after oversight activities were disrupted.A fragile truce agreed on April 7 has paused large-scale hostilities, though tensions remain elevated. The conflict has also disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil flows, contributing to wider energy market instability.

U.S. officials have consistently said preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains a central objective. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has stated that Washington aims to achieve this through a combination of military pressure and negotiations.Experts say assessing the full impact of military operations on Iran’s nuclear capacity remains difficult.

While physical infrastructure has been damaged, knowledge and technical expertise may persist, and some nuclear material is believed to be stored in hardened underground sites beyond the reach of conventional strikes.Iran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons, maintaining that its program is for civilian purposes.

U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA assess that Tehran halted an organized weapons development effort in 2003, though concerns remain over its enrichment capabilities and potential breakout capacity.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used the anniversary to accuse Moscow of endangering global nuclear safety, saying repeated Russian drone operations near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant risked triggering another man-made catastrophe.

“Russia is once again bringing the world to the brink of a man-made disaster,” Zelensky wrote on social media, referring to Iranian-designed Shahed drones used extensively by Russian forces since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

He said such drones had repeatedly flown over the plant and that one had struck the protective confinement structure last year, calling for stronger international pressure to halt what he described as “nuclear terrorism.”Russian missile and drone strikes on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro killed at least nine people, regional officials said, making it the deadliest single attack reported during the latest wave of cross-border strikes.

In Russian-occupied Crimea, Moscow-installed authorities said one man was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on the port city of Sevastopol. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move widely rejected by the international community, and has since used the peninsula as a key military logistics hub.

In eastern Ukraine’s occupied Luhansk region, Leonid Pasechnik, the Russia-backed governor, said three people were killed in an overnight Ukrainian drone strike on a village, after earlier reporting two deaths on Saturday.Earlier, authorities in Russia’s Belgorod border region said a woman was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack.

Ukraine did not publicly comment on the strikes in Crimea or Luhansk, and the claims could not be independently verified.Ukraine’s military said it had also struck an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, deep inside Russian territory, triggering fires at a facility that processes around 15 million tons of oil annually and produces gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, including supplies for the Russian military.Russia did not immediately comment on the refinery attack.

Kyiv has increasingly used domestically developed long-range drones capable of reaching targets up to 1,500 km (900 miles) inside Russia, targeting energy infrastructure and military logistics sites.Ukrainian officials argue such strikes are aimed at reducing Russian military capacity, particularly as Moscow seeks to increase oil exports after the Trump administration granted temporary sanctions waivers to ease global supply constraints.

The anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster also renewed focus on the safety of the damaged reactor site.Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said repairs to the plant’s outer protective shell must begin urgently after damage from a strike last year compromised a key safety function of the structure.

He warned that prolonged delays could increase risks to the original sarcophagus covering Reactor No. 4, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster.The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimated repairs would require at least 500 million euros ($586 million).

Ukraine’s Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said international partners had so far committed 100 million euros in additional funding, on top of a previously agreed 30 million euros.Ukrainian officials say a Russian drone struck the outer shell of the New Safe Confinement structure in February 2025.

The $2.1 billion steel arch, completed in 2019, was built to contain radioactive material over the destroyed reactor.Moscow denied responsibility and accused Kyiv of staging the incident.Separately, Russia’s Defense Minister Andrei Belousov visited North Korea on Sunday for talks with leader Kim Jong Un, where both sides discussed expanding military cooperation.

Belousov said the two countries had agreed to move military ties to a “sustainable, long-term basis,” according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.During the visit, he awarded Russia’s Order of Courage to North Korean troops who served in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion in August 2024.

Kim has supplied thousands of troops and significant weapons shipments to support Russia’s war effort.

“No, I wouldn’t use it,” Trump told reporters at the White House, referring to nuclear weapons. “Why would I use a nuclear weapon when we’ve, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it?” he added, while also stating that such weapons “should never be allowed to be used by anybody.”

The remarks come after Trump earlier this month warned that Iran faced destruction, comments that drew scrutiny before a ceasefire was agreed and subsequently extended.

During the conflict, Vice President JD Vance said Washington was prepared to intensify its military response using capabilities not previously deployed, though the White House denied that nuclear weapons were under consideration.

Trump reiterated that his objective was to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, saying he sought an Iran “without a nuclear weapon” that could threaten U.S. cities or regional stability. Tehran has consistently denied pursuing nuclear arms, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has said an atomic weapon was not imminent prior to the outbreak of hostilities.

The United States remains the only country to have used nuclear weapons in combat, during the final stages of World War II, when atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons but has not publicly confirmed their existence.

Trump’s statement appears to contrast with longstanding U.S. nuclear doctrine, which has not ruled out the potential use of nuclear weapons under certain conditions.

Previous administrations, including that of Barack Obama, have advocated for reducing nuclear risks while maintaining deterrence capabilities.

The candidates former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi of Argentina, UN trade and development head Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, and former Senegalese president Macky Sall are set to participate in hours-long hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday in a process aimed at increasing transparency in the selection of the UN’s top official.

The public dialogues, introduced in 2016, allow member states and non-governmental organizations to question candidates directly. However, the final decision will rest with the 15-member UN Security Council, where the five permanent members the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France hold veto power.

The selection comes at a time when the United Nations faces significant operational strain, including what officials describe as a severe budget shortfall linked to delayed or withheld contributions, particularly from the United States. Washington’s envoy to the UN has indicated that the next secretary-general must align with U.S. priorities, underscoring the geopolitical stakes involved in the appointment.

Bachelet, 74, brings decades of political and diplomatic experience, having served as Chile’s first female president and later as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Her tenure at the rights body drew criticism from some member states, including China, following reports addressing alleged abuses against Uyghur populations.

Grossi, 65, has led the IAEA since 2019 and has played a central role in navigating nuclear-related tensions involving Iran and the conflict in Ukraine, including concerns surrounding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility. His candidacy places him under scrutiny from both Western powers and Russia, reflecting the sensitivity of his portfolio.

Grynspan, 70, currently heads the UN Conference on Trade and Development and has been credited with facilitating the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which enabled grain exports amid the Ukraine conflict.

She has emphasized multilateral cooperation and her personal background as the daughter of Holocaust survivors in articulating her commitment to the UN Charter.Sall, 64, stands as the only candidate outside Latin America, a region many member states argue should produce the next secretary-general under informal rotation practices.

His candidacy has faced resistance within Africa, including from segments of the African Union, and criticism related to his handling of political unrest during his presidency.All four candidates have pledged to restore confidence in the United Nations and address divisions among member states, as conflicts and economic pressures test the institution’s capacity to respond effectively.

The hearings are expected to shape diplomatic negotiations in the coming months as Security Council members weigh competing priorities before recommending a candidate to the General Assembly.

Ishaq Dar said after meetings with regional counterparts that Islamabad was ready to facilitate “meaningful talks” toward a “comprehensive and lasting settlement,” including potential U.S.-Iran negotiations. It was not immediately clear whether either side had agreed to participate.

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused Washington of signalling openness to diplomacy while preparing for military escalation, saying Tehran would not accept demands amounting to surrender.U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed any agreement to attend talks.

Reports cited by U.S. media indicate the Pentagon is assessing options that could include ground operations, though no final decision has been announced by Donald Trump.

Discussions among regional powers, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, have focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian restrictions on shipping since late February have disrupted global oil flows.

The conflict has driven oil prices sharply higher and intensified risks to maritime trade, with additional threats emerging near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait following attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi forces.

Israel said it carried out more than 140 air strikes across Iran over a 24-hour period, targeting missile infrastructure and other sites. Iranian media reported damage to Mehrabad airport in Tehran and a petrochemical facility in Tabriz.

Missile and drone exchanges have extended beyond Iran, with strikes reported in southern Israel near Beersheba and damage to industrial facilities in Gulf states including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran’s heavy water production plant at Khondab had suffered severe damage and was no longer operational, though it contained no declared nuclear material.

The U.S. military has begun deploying thousands of Marines to the region, with the first contingent arriving aboard an amphibious assault ship, according to official statements.

Washington last week proposed a ceasefire framework that included reopening Hormuz and limiting Iran’s nuclear programme, but Tehran rejected the plan.

The conflict has triggered domestic political divisions in the United States, with protests reported in multiple cities and lawmakers offering sharply differing views on the war’s trajectory.

Tehran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency in September that it was taking the step, known as de-designation. The IAEA said at the time that while Iran is allowed to do that, the way it was done was unprecedented and harmful to its work.

“It’s a very serious blow to our capacity to do that,” Grossi told a news conference when asked to what extent the move had affected the IAEA’s ability to carry out meaningful inspections in Iran. He is urging Tehran to reconsider.

Uranium enrichment is the heart of Iran’s nuclear programme, and the process by which uranium is purified to levels as high as 60%, close to the roughly 90% that is weapons-grade. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons but no other state has enriched to that level without producing them.

The IAEA will not say how many inspectors were de-designated. Diplomats put the number at slightly more than a handful. While that is a fraction of the more than 100 inspectors assigned to Iran, they are among the IAEA’s top experts on uranium enrichment, officials said.

One diplomat put the number of inspectors barred in this wave at eight, all of them French and German. That left only one enrichment expert in the team assigned to Iran, they added.

One senior diplomat put the number of other enrichment experts available with the required know-how at probably fewer than five.

“There are not many countries with this type of expertise. And normally countries where this expertise exists are very reluctant to release the expertise. They also were inspectors that were familiar with the facilities, had been there for years inspecting the facilities,” the senior diplomat said, referring to the de-designated inspectors.

The importance of that experience was illustrated in January when an inspector noticed a subtle but substantial change to a cascade, or cluster, of uranium-enriching centrifuges that Iran had failed to inform the IAEA of. That change caused a spike in the enrichment level to 83.7%, a record.

The inspector who spotted that change, a Russian enrichment expert, was de-designated later this year, shortly before the others, numerous diplomats said.

Iran’s steady progress in enriching to very high levels while failing to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency with the cooperation it demands on a growing list of issues presents a challenge to both the agency and Western powers that have repeatedly called on Iran to reverse course.

Iran’s stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% grew by 6.7 kg (14.8 pounds) to 128.3 kg (282.9 pounds) since the last report on Sept. 4, one of the two reports to member states seen by Reuters said. That is more than three times the roughly 42 kg (92.6 pounds) that by the IAEA’s definition is theoretically enough, if enriched further, for a nuclear bomb.

“That’s quite an amount, especially if you don’t use it for anything,” a senior diplomat said, referring to the fact Iran is the only country to enrich to such a high level without producing nuclear weapons. Weapons-grade is around 90%.

Iran has enough uranium enriched to lower levels for more bombs, but it denies seeking such weapons.

The rate at which Iran is enriching to 60%, however, has slowed to around 3 kg (6.6 pounds) a month from 9 kg (19.8 pounds) earlier this year, which diplomats said is the apparent result of indirect negotiations with the United States that led to a prisoner exchange between the two countries in September.

The number of cascades, or clusters, of uranium-enriching centrifuges in operation is also unchanged, the report said. Tensions between the agency and Iran, however, have only increased.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution a year ago ordering Iran to comply with an IAEA investigation into uranium traces found at three undeclared sites. Since then the IAEA has narrowed the list of sites to two but little other progress has been made.

No Consequences

The IAEA’s list of pressing issues in Iran has also grown, with a deal in March to re-install monitoring equipment including surveillance cameras removed last year at Iran’s behest having only partially been honoured, and Tehran’s so-called “de-designation” in September of highly experienced IAEA inspectors.

The second report issued on Wednesday said there had been no progress on those issues. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi wrote to Iran asking it to reconsider the de-designation, and Iran replied on Wednesday to say merely that it was “exploring possibilities to address the request”, the report said.

“This measure, while formally permitted… was exercised by Iran in a manner that directly and seriously affects the Agency’s ability to conduct effectively its verification activities in Iran, in particular at the enrichment facilities,” the second report said.

“The (IAEA) Director General (Grossi) continues to strongly condemn Iran’s sudden withdrawal of the designations of several experienced Agency inspectors,” it added.

Despite the standoffs over the inspectors, particles and monitoring equipment, Iran is unlikely to face serious consequences when the IAEA board meets next week.

While the United States and its European allies have previously threatened to pass another binding resolution against Iran, diplomats say that will not happen this time for reasons including avoiding a diplomatic escalation with Iran while attention is focused on Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

Saudi Arabia has a nascent nuclear programme that it wants to expand to eventually include activities like proliferation-sensitive uranium enrichment. It is unclear where its ambitions end, since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said for years it will develop nuclear weapons if regional rival Iran does.

Riyadh has yet to fire up its first nuclear reactor, allowing its programme to still be monitored under the Small Quantities Protocol (SQP), an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency that exempts less advanced states from many reporting obligations and inspections.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has been calling on the dozens of states that still have SQPs to amend or rescind them, calling them a “weakness” in the global non-proliferation regime. The IAEA has for years been in talks with Riyadh on making the switch to a so-called Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) for years.

“The kingdom has recently taken the decision to rescind its Small Quantities Protocol and to move to the implementation of a full-scope Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement,” Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told the IAEA’s annual General Conference, speaking through an interpreter.

If Saudi Arabia were to introduce nuclear material into its first nuclear reactor, a low-power research reactor in Riyadh that is near completion, it would void the SQP and its exemptions from regular safeguards.

Despite that, its SQP is a sensitive issue given the fears of an arms race in the Middle East. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, but it is enriching uranium to such high purity that Western powers say there is no credible civil explanation.

Prince Abdulaziz did not say whether on top of a regular CSA Saudi Arabia planned to sign up to the IAEA’s Additional Protocol, which allows for more wide-ranging and intrusive checks such as snap inspections.

Iran applied the Additional Protocol under its 2015 nuclear deal with major powers but stopped after then-President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the accord in 2018.

Iran’s move was a response to a call led by the United States, Britain, France and Germany at the IAEA last week for Tehran to cooperate immediately with the IAEA on issues including explaining uranium traces found at undeclared sites.

“The European Union is highly concerned by the … decision by Iran to withdraw the official designation of several experienced IAEA inspectors to monitor and verify its nuclear programme,” the spokesman for EU foreign affairs Peter Stano said in a statement.

“Particularly worrying is the direct and severe impact of this decision on the Agency’s ability to conduct its verification activities, which includes the monitoring of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The EU urges Iran to reconsider its decision without delay,” the statement said.

The warning delivered by Britain, France and Germany – the so-called E3 – and the U.S. to a quarterly International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors meeting published on Thursday comes as the West’s standoff with Iran has been complicated by secret U.S.-Iran talks.

A November resolution ordered Tehran to cooperate urgently with the IAEA’s investigation into the presence of uranium particles at three undeclared sites, since narrowed down to two.

Western powers have recently condemned Iran for stonewalling the IAEA on that and other issues like the re-installation surveillance cameras removed last year, and for enriching uranium to up to 60% purity, close to weapons grade. But in parallel diplomats say the United States has held secret “de-escalation” talks with Iran, potentially muddying the waters.

Those de-escalation talks, which Washington does not acknowledge, cover issues such as Iran’s recent slowdown of enrichment to 60% purity, frozen Iranian funds abroad, and a prisoner swap, diplomats say.

“If Iran fails to implement the essential and urgent actions contained in the November 2022 Resolution and the 4th March Joint Statement in full, the Board will have to be prepared to take further action in support of the (IAEA) Secretariat to hold Iran accountable in the future, including the possibility of a resolution,” the four Western powers said in a statement to the 35-nation IAEA board.

Iran tends to bristle at resolutions against it and respond by expanding or accelerating its nuclear activities. Iran says its nuclear programme is strictly for peaceful uses. Western powers say there is no credible civilian explanation for it.

The joint statement addressed the re-installation of monitoring equipment such as cameras but only a fraction of the cameras the IAEA wants to put in place have been set up.

Rather than seek another binding resolution against Tehran for the lack of progress on these issues at this week’s IAEA board meeting, however, the Western powers issued a non-binding joint statement with 59 other countries calling on Iran to “act immediately” on issues including explaining the uranium traces.

A total of 22 countries of the 35 on the board backed the statement, fewer than the 26 that supported the resolution in November.