Rafael Grossi stated that “Tehran’s technical and industrial capabilities cannot be disinvented.”
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi indicated that Iran might restart uranium enrichment within months, even after recent airstrikes by the US and Israel on its nuclear sites.
Speaking in a CBS News interview released on Sunday, Grossi mentioned that the attacks on Iranian nuclear installations, such as Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, caused “a very serious level of damage,” yet some of these assets remain “still standing.”
He further stated, “The capacities they [Iran] have are there. They can have, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that,” while also admitting that even Iranian officials probably do not yet fully comprehend the damage’s scope.
The IAEA chief also indicated that Iran possesses substantial industrial capacity. He elaborated, “Iran is a very sophisticated country in terms of nuclear technology, as is obvious. So you cannot disinvent this. You cannot undo the knowledge that you have or the capacities that you have.”
Grossi further asserted that a military resolution would not resolve worries regarding Iran’s nuclear program. He remarked, “I think this should be the incentive that we all must have to understand that… you are not going to solve this in a definitive way militarily. You are going to have an agreement,” while voicing his expectation that IAEA inspectors would soon regain entry to the nation’s nuclear facilities.
Iran has denied inspectors access to its nuclear sites, alleging that the agency falsified information in a recent report, which Tehran asserts was used to justify the Israeli and US attacks. Grossi countered this by stating: “Really, who can believe that this conflict happened because of a report of the IAEA? And, by the way, what was in that report was not new.”
These remarks follow a 12-day confrontation between Israel and Iran, throughout which the US and Israel carried out airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear locations.
US President Donald Trump asserted that the strikes had “completely obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities and issued a warning of additional attacks should Iran pursue nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, numerous US media outlets have indicated that the harm to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure was not extensive.
Tehran has refuted allegations of intending to produce a nuclear weapon, insisting instead that its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful applications and emphasizing its desire to retain the right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.