Iran's atomic energy chief Eslami says nuclear industry "cannot be stopped"; TASS reports him calling inspections of attacked sites impossible

11 October 2026

Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said on Sunday 11 October that the achievements of Iran's indigenous nuclear industry "cannot be stopped", citing electricity generation as a main use, and criticised the IAEA for not condemning repeated US threats to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities again, according to Al Jazeera. Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said Iran will pursue its interests through diplomacy if possible and "in the field of battle" if not. Al Jazeera adds that Iran says a deal could involve diluting its high-enriched uranium in later stages but that it will not abandon enrichment, while US Vice President JD Vance said last week that Iran must make a "meaningful" reduction in enrichment capacity. TASS reported on 8 October that Eslami told the portal Es-Siyasa that inspections of nuclear facilities that have been attacked or are under threat are impossible, and that cooperation with the IAEA is prohibited by law.