Iran Nears Uranium Enrichment Capacity Despite Attacks, IAEA Warns

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, has cautioned that Iran could regain the ability to produce enriched uranium within months, despite recent US and Israeli airstrikes on its nuclear facilities. The attacks, which began with an Israeli bombing campaign on June 13 aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, were followed by US strikes on three key Iranian atomic sites.

While Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, acknowledged ‘serious’ damage to the sites, the full extent remains unclear. Former President Donald Trump claimed Iran’s nuclear program had been set back ‘decades.’ However, Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stated that ‘some is still standing.’ He indicated that Iran could have ‘a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium’ in a matter of months, or even less.

A critical concern for the IAEA is the whereabouts of Iran’s estimated 408.6kg (900lbs) stockpile of 60% enriched uranium. This material, while below weapons-grade, could be further refined to produce over nine nuclear bombs. Grossi admitted, ‘We don’t know where this material could be,’ raising fears it might have been relocated before the attacks. Trump, however, disputed this, saying he believed nothing had been moved.

In response to the strikes, Iranian lawmakers have suspended cooperation with the IAEA, and Tehran has rejected Grossi’s request to visit the damaged sites, particularly the main enrichment facility at Fordow. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Washington’s support for the IAEA’s verification efforts in Iran.

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