Intel from the UN Nuclear Watchdog indicates Iran may be on track to restore uranium enrichment capabilities within brief timeframes, potentially months.
Revised Article:
Nuclear Watchdog Warns Iran Could Restart Uranium Enrichment
Washington: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear follower, has issued a warning that Iran may resume uranium enrichment within a few months despite damage to several nuclear facilities from US and Israeli attacks. IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi stated on Saturday that, despite the damage from attacks, the Islamic Republic's nuclear infrastructure "still stands" and it can revert to its previous capabilities in "a matter of months."
Recent weeks have been tumultuous in the Middle East following Israel's Operation Rising Lion, which targeted Iran's nuclear and military facilities on June 13, reportedly aimed at obstacle the Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon—a claim the Islamic republic constantly denies. Subsequently, the US joined Israel in bombing three essential facilities supporting Tehran's atomic program. US President Donald Trump declared these sites were completely "obliterated," insisting Iran's nuclear program had been set back "decades."
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, acknowledges the impact of the damage to the nuclear sites is "serious," but the details remain unclear.
What Rafael Grossi SaidGrossi stated, "a portion" of Iran's nuclear program remains intact.
"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 said in an interview with CBS News.
"Iran had a very vast ambitious program, and part of it may still be there, and if not, there is also the obvious truth that the knowledge is there. The industrial capacity is there. Iran is a very sophisticated country in terms of nuclear technology, as is clear," he added.
Another concern is whether Iran successfully relocated some or all of its 900-pound stockpile of highly enriched uranium before the attacks. The uranium in question is enriched to 60 percent—levels beyond civilian use but below weapons-grade. If further refined, this material could potentially produce more than nine nuclear bombs.
Grossi admitted to CBS: "We don't know where this material could be."
"So some could have been destroyed due to the attack, but some could have been moved. So there needs to be clarification at some point," he said in the interview.
Currently, Iranian legislators have voted to halt cooperation with the IAEA, and Tehran has rejected Grossi's demand for a visit to the damaged sites, particularly Fordo, the main uranium enrichment facility.
"We need to be in a position to ascertain, to confirm what is there, and where it is and what happened," Grossi said.
Trump's New Bombing ThreatUS President Trump sharply rebuked Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, on Friday, as he rescinded plans to lift sanctions on Iran. Trump hinted at a potential new bombing of Iran if Tehran starts enriching uranium to concerning levels.
Trump's remarks followed Khamenei's statement that Iran "slapped America in the face" by launching an attack against a significant US base in Qatar after the U.S. bombing raids. Khamenei also declared Iran would never surrender.
The US leader said he had spared Khamenei's life. Previous reports suggested Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate the supreme leader.
"His country was demolished, his three evil nuclear sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew exactly where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the greatest and most powerful in the world, terminate his life," Trump said in a social media post.
"I SAVED HIM FROM AN UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH," he said.
Iran suggested a possible nuclear deal is contingent upon the US discontinuing its disrespectful tone toward the Supreme Leader.
"If President Trump sincerely yearns for an agreement, he should lay aside the disrespectful and intolerable tone toward Iran's Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and cease hurting his millions of devoted followers," Iran's Foreign Minister said in a post on X in the early hours of Saturday.
Trump also announced that in recent days, he had been working on the possibility of lifting sanctions on Iran to facilitate a swift recovery. However, he now discontinued this effort.
Trump stated at a White House news conference that he did not rule out attacking Iran again, when asked about the possibility of bombing Iranian nuclear sites if deemed necessary at some point.
"Certainly, without question, absolutely," he said.
- The warning by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about Iran resuming uranium enrichment amidst policy and legislation debates highlights the role of war and conflicts in shaping global politics, as well as the wider implications for general news.
- The recent nuclear tensions between Iran and the US, as highlighted by the IAEA's warning and Trump's bombing threat, underscore the complex interplay between war-and-conflicts, politics, policy-and-legislation, and general-news in the Middle East.
