The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has stated that Iran could resume uranium enrichment within a matter of months, despite recent airstrikes on its nuclear facilities by the United States.
In an interview with CBS News broadcast on 29 June, Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the damage inflicted by the strikes on the Iranian sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan was significant but not sufficient to halt Iran’s nuclear programme permanently.
According to Grossi, Iran retains the technical knowledge and industrial capacity required to restart enrichment activities. “They could have centrifuges back in operation in a few months,” he said. “You cannot destroy knowledge.”
The IAEA chief’s assessment comes just days after US President Donald Trump claimed that the strikes had set Iran’s nuclear ambitions back by “several decades”. Grossi offered a more cautious view, indicating that while the facilities had been degraded, they were not entirely disabled.
The United States launched coordinated strikes on 23 June targeting several Iranian nuclear installations, citing ongoing violations of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and a recent IAEA resolution critical of Tehran’s nuclear activities. Iran, for its part, has characterised the resolution as politically motivated and has suspended its cooperation with the IAEA in protest.
Grossi confirmed that his agency has not had access to Iran’s nuclear sites since 10 June. The whereabouts and status of Iran’s stockpile of over 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent remain unknown. “We don’t know where the material is or whether it was destroyed in the attacks,” he said. Enriched to weapons-grade levels — 90 percent and above — this quantity of uranium could theoretically yield material for at least nine nuclear warheads.
The Iranian parliament voted earlier this month to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, a decision that was approved by the Guardian Council and is awaiting ratification by the president. Grossi criticised the move, emphasising that national legislation does not override international treaty obligations. “An international treaty must take precedence. Domestic laws cannot be used to justify non-compliance,” he said.
The United States has voiced its support for the IAEA’s continued monitoring efforts. In a statement published on social media on 28 June, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Washington’s backing of Grossi and called on Iran to ensure the safety of IAEA personnel.
Argentina, Grossi’s home country, has also issued a statement of support amid reports of threats directed at him from Tehran. “We offer our firm backing to Director-General Rafael Grossi and categorically condemn any threats made against him by the Iranian authorities,” the Argentine foreign ministry said on 28 June.
President Trump, speaking on Fox News in an interview also aired on 29 June, claimed that Iran had not been able to move its enriched uranium prior to the US airstrikes. “We didn’t give them any warning. They didn’t move anything,” he said.
Grossi, however, cast doubt on such assurances. “It’s difficult to confirm without on-site access,” he said, adding that the IAEA has been seeking clarification but has been denied entry.
The developments have heightened international concerns over nuclear proliferation and regional stability. Despite the physical damage to Iranian nuclear infrastructure, Grossi warned that Iran’s nuclear knowledge base remains intact and that rebuilding physical capacity would take months, not years.
Critics of the airstrikes argue that the use of force against nuclear facilities has often proven ineffective in achieving long-term non-proliferation goals. A previous IAEA report, issued on 12 June, found that Iran continued to expand its uranium enrichment activities in breach of its obligations under the JCPOA.
Iranian officials have dismissed that report as an excuse for military escalation. Grossi rejected the accusation, saying, “There was nothing new in the report. Blaming an international organisation or a director-general is not a reasonable response.”
Read also:
Now Khamenei Must Go: Iran’s People Cry Out for Peace and Freedom
