Iran Could Restart Uranium Enrichment Within Months, UN Nuclear Watchdog Chief Rafael Grossi Says

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director Rafael Grossi has said that Tehran was likely to resume uranium enrichment within a few months, even after the recent US military attacks on key Iranian nuclear facilities, according to a report published by CNN on Sunday. Grossi’s remarks are in contrast to earlier statements made by US President Donald Trump, who had claimed that the Washington-led attacks had substantially pushed Tehran’s nuclear plans back by decades.

US Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Program: What Was the Extent of Impact?

Interestingly, Grossi’s comments come just days after Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency determined that the strikes, which hit a number of Iranian nuclear sites, were not severely detrimental to the country’s nuclear program, suggesting that while the US attacks probably delayed Iran’s development by a matter of months, they did not obliterate Tehran’s abilities, as Trump had asserted. Grossi, while appearing on CBS News’ “Face the Nation”, said, “The capacities they have are there. They can have, in a matter of months, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium.”

Highlighting that the scenario was not “total”, Grossi underlined that Iran still has the industrial and technological capacities to resume its nuclear activities immediately.

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UN Oversight Amid Iran’s Reported Nuclear Ambiguities

Although Iran has been working with the IAEA, there have been reported inconsistencies, including the very recent presence of unexplained traces of uranium outside declared sites.  

Pointing out Iran’s lack of transparency regarding its nuclear ambitions, Grossi told the network that Tehran hasn’t given believable explanations for these results, while stressing on the necessity for further access to Iran’s nuclear activities as the nation cuts back on cooperation with the UN nuclear monitor. Iran’s parliament even adopted a bill suspending cooperation with the IAEA, adding to concerns over the nation’s nuclear goals.

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