Iran could enrich uranium again despite strikes, says International atomic body
The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog has warned that Iran could begin enriching uranium again within just a few months, despite recent US-led airstrikes aimed at crippling Tehran's nuclear programme.Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told CBS News on Sunday that while the strikes had caused significant damage to Iran's nuclear infrastructure, they had not eliminated the country's capabilities or knowledge base.advertisement"Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there," Grossi said in the interview on Face the Nation. 'The capacities they have are there. They can have, you know, in a matter of months a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that.'
The comments raise questions over the effectiveness of the US and Israeli strikes on key nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. US President Donald Trump has claimed that the attacks "completely and totally obliterated" Iran's nuclear capabilities.Although Grossi acknowledged that Iran's ability to convert and enrich uranium had been significantly set back, he emphasized that the core problem remains: Iran's technical expertise is intact."Iran is a very sophisticated country in terms of nuclear technology," Grossi noted. "So you cannot disinvent this. You cannot undo the knowledge that you have or the capacities that you have."advertisementThe strikes followed a 12-day air war ignited by Israeli attacks on Iranian sites earlier this month. The United States joined the campaign shortly afterward, citing the need to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.Iran, however, insists its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes. But Western powers remain skeptical, mainly after reports emerged that Iran may have moved some of its highly enriched uranium stockpiles before the strikes.When asked about those reports, Grossi said the whereabouts of the material remains unclear. "So some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved," he said.- EndsWith inputs from ReutersMust Watch
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