Iran could resume uranium enrichment within months despite U.S. and Israeli strikes on its nuclear facilities, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog has said.
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told CBS News that Iran retains the capacity to enrich uranium quickly, casting doubt on the effectiveness of recent U.S. attacks on its nuclear programme.
"The capacities they have are there. 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 in an interview with "Face the Nation" due to air on Sunday.
U.S. officials claim their strikes destroyed key nuclear sites in Iran, including facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, after Israel launched attacks earlier this month aiming to eliminate Tehran's nuclear capabilities. The strikes sparked a 12-day air conflict, which the U.S. eventually joined.
President Donald Trump warned on Friday that he would consider bombing Iran again if it resumes uranium enrichment to threatening levels.
Grossi cautioned that while the attacks had significantly set back Iran’s nuclear operations, they had not erased its knowledge or capability.
"Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there," he said. "Iran is a very sophisticated country in terms of nuclear technology. You cannot disinvent this. You cannot undo the knowledge that you have or the capacities that you have."
Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.
Western powers have long argued that Iran’s technical advances provide it with irreversible knowledge gains, meaning the loss of facilities or personnel can slow but not eliminate its nuclear potential.
Grossi also addressed reports suggesting Iran moved its stock of highly enriched uranium before the U.S. strikes.
"It was not clear where that material was. Some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved," he said.
The IAEA continues to monitor Iran's nuclear activities amid heightened regional tensions and uncertainty over whether Tehran will seek to rebuild its enrichment facilities swiftly or wait for diplomatic opportunities.
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Iran could hold direct nuclear negotiations with the United States under the right circumstances, First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref said Tuesday, according to state media.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has proposed a "6+2" format meeting bringing together Iran, Iraq, and the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states to address regional developments on the side lines of the United Nations General Assembly.
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A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
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Kabul’s streets were lined with white flags and decorated banners on Friday as Afghanistan marked the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power on 15 August 2021.
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