Iran could restart uranium enrichment for bomb 'in months', Says IAEA chief
New Delhi, Jun 29: Iran retains the capability to resume uranium enrichment for a nuclear weapon within "a matter of months", the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has warned, contradicting recent claims by US President Donald Trump that Iranian nuclear sites were “totally obliterated”, reports BBC.
Speaking to CBS News, as reported by the BBC, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that Tehran still has the industrial and technological infrastructure necessary to quickly restart enrichment.
“If they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again,” Grossi said. “A few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium—this could happen in a matter of months.” Grossi’s assessment comes after joint Israeli and US airstrikes earlier this month targeted key Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. While Trump declared the sites had been "completely destroyed", Grossi disputed this, stating, “Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there.” Iran has issued mixed signals about the extent of the damage. While Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed the strikes achieved little, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi admitted that "excessive and serious" damage was inflicted.
The BBC noted that a recent US Pentagon assessment similarly concluded that the strikes only set back Iran's nuclear programme by several months. The developments have further strained Tehran’s already fragile relationship with the IAEA. On Wednesday, Iran's parliament moved to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear agency, accusing it of siding with Washington and Tel Aviv. This followed a rare IAEA ruling last month that found Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in two decades.
Despite this, Grossi struck a conciliatory tone, expressing hope for renewed diplomacy. “At the end of the day, this whole thing, after the military strikes, will have to have a long-lasting solution, which cannot be but a diplomatic one,” he said.
