Iran has the technical capacity to resume enriching uranium “within a few months,” according to Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), during an interview with the American broadcaster CBS on Saturday.
Nearly a week after the US attacks on three Iranian nuclear sites, it’s clear the sites have sustained damage, which Tehran acknowledges, although the extent remains uncertain.
The White House claims the Iranian nuclear programme was destroyed, with President Donald Trump earlier calling it “monumental damage,” but American media question these assertions.
Grossi stated in the interview that there is “significant damage,” yet the nuclear sites are not completely destroyed. “Within a few months, I would say, they could operate centrifuges to produce enriched uranium,” Grossi said.
Additionally, there is concern about the stock of over four hundred kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%. If this enrichment level is increased to 90%, this stock could be enough for the production of nine nuclear bombs.
Several media outlets report that Tehran managed to move this stockpile before the US attacks began. Trump denies this, but IAEA inspectors haven’t seen these reserves since 10 June. The United Nations agency urges Iran to grant inspectors access to the sites again.
However, the Iranian parliament has voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA. “Iran’s cooperation with us is not a favour; it is a legal obligation as long as Iran remains a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),” Grossi responded to these developments.
