Iran could again enrich uranium ‘in matter of months', says UN nuclear watchdog chief
IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi says Iran's estimated 400kg stockpile of highly enriched uranium is enough to produce at least nine nuclear bombs. PHOTO: EPA
Iran could again enrich uranium 'in matter of months', says UN nuclear watchdog chief
WASHINGTON - UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi says Iran likely will be able to begin to produce enriched uranium 'in a matter of months,' despite damage to several nuclear facilities from US and Israeli attacks, CBS News said on June 28.
Israel launched a bombing campaign on Iranian nuclear and military sites on June 13, saying it was aimed at keeping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon – an ambition the Islamic republic has consistently denied.
The United States subsequently bombed three key facilities used for Tehran's atomic programme.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the extent of the damage to the nuclear sites is 'serious,' but the details are unknown.
US President Donald Trump insisted Iran's nuclear programme had been set back 'decades.'
But Mr Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said 'some is still standing.'
'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,' Mr Grossi said on June 27, according to a transcript of the interview released June 28.
Another key question is whether Iran was able to relocate some or all of its estimated 408.6 kilo stockpile of highly enriched uranium before the attacks.
The uranium in question is enriched to 60 per cent – above levels for civilian usage but still below weapons grade. That material, if further refined, would theoretically be sufficient to produce more than nine nuclear bombs.
Mr Grossi admitted to CBS: 'We don't know where this material could be.'
'So some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved. So there has to be at some point a clarification,' he said in the interview.
For now, Iranian lawmakers voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA and Tehran rejected Mr Grossi's request for a visit to the damaged sites, especially Fordo, the main uranium enrichment facility.
'We need to be in a position to ascertain, to confirm what is there, and where is it and what happened,' Mr Grossi said.
A Maxar satellite image shows damage at Iran's Fordow enrichment facility after strikes on June 23.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
In a separate interview with Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures programme, Mr Trump said he did not think the stockpile had been moved.
'It's a very hard thing to do, plus we didn't give much notice,' he said, according to excerpts of the interview. 'They didn't move anything.'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on June 28 underscored Washington's support for 'the IAEA's critical verification and monitoring efforts in Iran,' commending Mr Grossi and his agency for their 'dedication and professionalism.'
The full interview with Mr Grossi will air on Face The Nation With Margaret Brennan on June 29. AFP
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