Iran could again enrich uranium 'in matter of months': IAEA chief

Iran could again enrich uranium 'in matter of months': IAEA chief
by AFP Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) June 28, 2025

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi says Iran likely will be able to begin to produce enriched uranium "in a matter of months," despite damage to several nuclear facilities from US and Israeli attacks, CBS News said Saturday.

Israel launched a bombing campaign on Iranian nuclear and military sites on June 13, saying it was aimed at keeping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon -- an ambition the Islamic republic has consistently denied.

The United States subsequently bombed three key facilities used for Tehran's atomic program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the extent of the damage to the nuclear sites is "serious," but the details are unknown. US President Donald Trump insisted Iran's nuclear program had been set back "decades."

But Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said "some is still standing."

"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 Friday, according to a transcript of the interview released Saturday.

Another key question is whether Iran was able to relocate some or all of its estimated 408.6-kilo (900-pound) stockpile of highly enriched uranium before the attacks.

The uranium in question is enriched to 60 percent -- above levels for civilian usage but still below weapons grade. That material, if further refined, would theoretically be sufficient to 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 as part of the attack, but some could have been moved. So there has to be at some point a clarification," he said in the interview.

For now, Iranian lawmakers voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA and Tehran rejected Grossi's request for a visit to the damaged sites, especially Fordo, the main uranium enrichment facility.

"We need to be in a position to ascertain, to confirm what is there, and where is it and what happened," Grossi said.

In a separate interview with Fox News's "Sunday Morning Futures" program, Trump said he did not think the stockpile had been moved.

"It's a very hard thing to do plus we didn't give much notice," he said, according to excerpts of the interview. "They didn't move anything."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday underscored Washington's support for "the IAEA's critical verification and monitoring efforts in Iran," commending Grossi and his agency for their "dedication and professionalism."

The full Grossi interview will air on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sunday.

Argentina condemns Iran's 'threats' against IAEA chief Grossi
Buenos Aires (AFP) June 29, 2025 - Argentina has condemned what it said were threats against UN nuclear watchdog chief and Argentine Rafael Grossi after Iran rejected his request to visit nuclear facilities bombed by Israel and the United States.

Tehran has accused Grossi of "betrayal of his duties" for not condemning the Israeli and US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites this month, and Iranian lawmakers voted to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which he leads.

Argentina's foreign ministry on Saturday expressed its support for Grossi, and said it "categorically condemns the threats against him coming from Iran."

The ministry also urged Iranian authorities to guarantee the safety of the IAEA chief and his team, and "refrain from any action that could put them at risk," according to a statement on social media platform X.

It did not specify what threats Grossi had received.

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas 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."

Iran has said it believes an IAEA resolution on June 12 that accused Iran of ignoring its nuclear obligations served as an "excuse" for the 12-day war Israel launched on June 13.

Before the conflict, Iran enriched uranium to 60 percent, above levels for civilian use but still below the 90 percent needed to make an atomic weapon.

Israel has said its bombing campaign on Iranian nuclear and military sites was aimed at keeping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon -- a goal Tehran has repeatedly denied.

In an interview with CBS News that aired Saturday, Grossi said Iran likely will be able to begin to produce enriched uranium "in a matter of months," despite damage to several nuclear facilities from the recent strikes.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday offered Washington's support for the IAEA's work in Iran, and praised Grossi and the agency for their "dedication and professionalism."

Iran says IAEA chief request to visit bombed sites suggests 'malign intent'
Tehran (AFP) June 27, 2025 - Iran on Friday rejected a request by UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi to visit facilities bombed by Israel and the United States, saying that it suggested "malign intent".

International Atomic Energy Agency director general "Grossi's insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X.

"Iran reserves the right to take any steps in defence of its interests, its people and its sovereignty."

Araghchi again hit out at Grossi personally for not speaking out against the Israeli and US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, describing it as an "astounding betrayal of his duties".

He charged that the IAEA chief had "directly facilitated... the unlawful Israeli and US bombings" by "obfuscating" Iran's efforts to allay the watchdog's concerns in a May 31 report that accused it of "less than satisfactory" cooperation.

That report led to the adoption of a censure motion by the IAEA board of governors that Iran says cleared the way for the 12-day war Israel launched on June 13.

The minister's comments came after the Iranian parliament approved a bill suspending cooperation with the UN watchdog.

Araghchi said the new relationship with the IAEA would continue "until the safety and security of our nuclear activities can be guaranteed."

Grossi had called on Monday for IAEA inspectors to be granted access to Iran's nuclear facilities so that they could establish what had happened to its large stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

Concerns have been raised in Israel and in Western countries fearful of Iran's ambitions over whether Iran was able to relocate its stockpile before the Israeli and US strikes.