UN Chief: Iran Could Resume Uranium Enrichment for Bomb Within Months
Iran may be just months away from restarting uranium enrichment at levels required for nuclear weapons, despite recent US and Israeli military strikes on its nuclear facilities, according to the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in an interview on Saturday that Iran retains both the technical knowledge and industrial capacity to quickly resume high-level uranium enrichment. “If they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again,” Grossi told News sources.
His comments come just two weeks after coordinated attacks by Israel and the United States targeted three major Iranian nuclear sites Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. The operations were launched following Israeli claims that Iran was nearing the threshold of building a nuclear weapon.
Grossi clarified that while the strikes caused “severe but not total” damage, Iran’s nuclear infrastructure was not eliminated. “Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there,” he stated, directly disputing Donald Trump’s claim that Iran’s nuclear capability had been “completely destroyed.”
A leaked US Department of Defense assessment earlier this week also indicated that the attacks may have only set Iran’s nuclear program back by a few months.
Tehran has provided mixed signals on the extent of the damage. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the strikes as ineffective, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged “excessive and serious” damage.
Iran’s top military official, General Abdolrahim Mousavi, warned on Sunday that Tehran remained skeptical of Israel’s commitment to a ceasefire. “We did not start the war, but we have responded to the aggressor with all our power,” Mousavi said, adding that Iran is “ready to respond with force” if hostilities resume.
Iran has also severed cooperation with the IAEA, blocking inspectors from accessing the bombed facilities. On Friday, Araghchi accused the agency of bias, saying its demand to inspect the sites was “meaningless and possibly even malign in intent.”
The latest standoff escalates tensions rooted in the 2015 nuclear agreement. Under that deal, Iran agreed to limit uranium enrichment to 3.67% and halt activity at the Fordo plant for 15 years. The US withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under President Trump, who reinstated sanctions. In response, Iran gradually violated the deal’s restrictions, enriching uranium to 60% by 2021 near weapons-grade levels.
The IAEA reported earlier this year that Iran had stockpiled enough 60%-enriched uranium to produce multiple nuclear weapons if it chose to do so.
Despite the rising strain, Grossi expressed hope for 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.
Iran continues to insist its nuclear program is peaceful and solely for civilian energy purposes. However, with restricted access for inspectors and mounting global concern, the prospect of nuclear rearmament in the region remains uncertain.
