Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has suggested that Iran could start producing enriched uranium “within months,” despite damage inflicted on its nuclear facilities due to American and Israeli attacks, as he mentioned in an interview with CBS News on Saturday.
On June 13, Israel initiated a series of strikes targeting Iranian military and nuclear sites to prevent Iran from advancing its nuclear weapon program, an ambition that Iran has repeatedly denied.
Following these actions, the United States joined Israel’s bombing campaign, targeting three key installations related to Iran’s nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared on Thursday that the damage to his country’s nuclear sites after 12 days of conflict with Israel was “significant,” while U.S. President Donald Trump asserted that Iran’s nuclear program has regressed “decades.”
However, Grossi remarked during his appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that “some of it still exists.”
He stated in the interview transcript released on Saturday, “I would say they can, you know, within months, start operating a few clusters of centrifuges to produce enriched uranium, or even sooner.”
The crucial question remains whether Iran managed to relocate part or all of its estimated 408.6 kilograms of highly enriched uranium before the attacks.
This uranium is enriched to 60%, which exceeds civilian use levels but is below what is needed to create a nuclear weapon. However, if further enriched, this material could theoretically be sufficient to produce over nine nuclear bombs.
Grossi admitted during the interview, “We don’t know where this material might be.”
He continued, “So, perhaps some of it was destroyed in the attack, but some might have been moved; this needs to be clarified at some point.”
The Iranian parliament has voted on a legislation to suspend cooperation with the IAEA and denied Grossi’s request to visit the impacted sites, particularly the main Fordow nuclear facility.
Grossi stated, “We need to be in a position to verify and ascertain what is there, where it is, and what has happened.”
Trump mentioned in a separate interview with Fox News that he does not believe the stockpile has been moved.
He added in excerpts from the interview, “It’s a difficult thing to do,” continuing, “They haven’t moved anything.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Saturday Washington’s support for the “important verification and monitoring efforts being conducted by the IAEA in Iran,” commending Grossi and his agency for their “dedication and professionalism.”
The full interview with Grossi, conducted by Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation,” will air on Sunday.