Iran could resume uranium enrichment within months — IAEA chief says
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said US strikes had not completely destroyed Iran’s nuclear sites, as Donald Trump claimed, and that they could begin enriching uranium again soon
Iran could start enriching uranium again - for a possible bomb - in “a matter of months”, the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has said.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the US strikes on three Iranian sites last weekend had caused severe but “not total” damage, contradicting Donald Trump’s claim that Iran’s nuclear facilities were “totally obliterated”.
“Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there,” Grossi said. Israel attacked nuclear and military sites in Iran on June 13, claiming Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon.
The US later joined the strikes, dropping bombs on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities - Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. On Saturday Grossi told CBS News that Tehran could have “in a matter of months... a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium”.
He added that Iran still possessed the “industrial and technological capacities... so if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again”. The IAEA is not the first body to suggest that Iran’s nuclear abilities could still continue.
A leaked preliminary Pentagon assessment also found the US strikes probably only set the programme back by months. US president Donald Trump responded furiously by declaring that Iran’s nuclear sites were “completely destroyed” and accused the media of “an attempt to demean one of the most successful military strikes in history”.
For now, Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire, but Trump has said he would “absolutely” consider bombing Iran again if intelligence found that it could enrich uranium to concerning levels. In a speech on Thursday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the strikes had achieved nothing significant.
But its foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said “excessive and serious” damage was done. Iran’s already-strained relationship with the IAEA was further challenged on Wednesday, when its parliament moved to suspend cooperation with the atomic watchdog, accusing the IAEA of siding with Israel and the US.
On Friday, Araghchi said on X that “Grossi’s insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent”. Israel and the US attacked Iran after the IAEA last month found Tehran to be in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years.
Iran insists that its nuclear programme is peaceful, and for civilian use only. Despite the Iranian refusal to work with his organisation, Grossi said that he hoped he could still negotiate with Tehran.
It resumed enrichment at Fordo in 2021 and had amassed enough 60%-enriched uranium to potentially make nine nuclear bombs, according to the IAEA.
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