Iran could be capable of producing enriched uranium again within months, despite recent strikes on its nuclear facilities by the United States and Israel, according to the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
Speaking in an interview with CBS News, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that although the damage inflicted was significant, Iran’s nuclear capabilities had not been entirely dismantled.
“They can have, you know, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that,” Grossi stated in remarks released on Saturday.
Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iranian nuclear and military sites on 13 June, claiming the operation was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, an ambition Tehran has long denied. Days later, the United States conducted its own strikes, targeting three major facilities tied to Iran’s atomic programme.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, confirmed that the damage to the sites was “serious,” though precise details remain unclear. U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the attacks had “set Iran’s nuclear programme back decades,” a statement now being questioned in light of Grossi’s assessment.
Crucial to international concerns is Iran’s existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium, estimated at 408.6kg (900lbs), enriched to 60%. While this level exceeds what is typically used for civilian purposes, it falls short of weapons-grade. Still, experts note that if refined further, the material could be used to produce more than nine nuclear weapons.
The current whereabouts of this stockpile are unknown. “We don’t know where this material could be,” Grossi admitted. “So some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved. So there has to be at some point a clarification.
Iranian lawmakers have since voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, and Tehran has denied Grossi’s request to inspect the damaged sites, including Fordow, its primary uranium enrichment facility.
“We need to be in a position to ascertain, to confirm what is there, and where it is and what happened,” said Grossi.
In a separate appearance on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures, Trump said he did not believe Iran had relocated the stockpile before the strikes. “It’s a very hard thing to do plus we didn’t give much notice,” he said. “They didn’t move anything.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed strong backing for the IAEA’s mission, commending Grossi and his team for their “dedication and professionalism.”
The full interview with Rafael Grossi is scheduled to air on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on Sunday.
