Latest news with #InternationalAtomicEnergyAgency
Sky News AU
22 minutes ago
- Science
- Sky News AU
‘Not a very large volume': Expert says Iranian nuclear program has 400kg of enriched uranium
Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering Patrick Burr says the Iranian nuclear program only has 400 kilograms of enriched uranium, based on International Atomic Energy Agency estimates. 'In the last estimates that we have from the International Atomic Energy Agency, we're looking at about 400 kilograms, possibly a bit more of enriched uranium,' Mr Burr told Sky News Australia. 'That sounds like a large number, but it's not a large volume. '400 kilograms of uranium … is not a very large volume. "To give a sense of scale, a football, if it was made of uranium, would weigh something like 35 kilograms, so you'd need 15 maybe, of those footballs, to have the full volume of enriched uranium Iran has.'
India.com
41 minutes ago
- Politics
- India.com
Trust Under Fire: The World Watches Iran's Next Move
On June 25th, US President Donald Trump boldly declared that American and Israeli strikes may have wiped out Iran's nuclear program. 'We destroyed the nuclear,' he said, suggesting there's nothing more to demand from Iran—except a promise never to build nuclear weapons again. But not everyone is convinced. While Iran's nuclear infrastructure has clearly suffered serious damage, experts warn that it's too early to say the program is fully dismantled. Reports indicate that some facilities may still be intact. This uncertainty, if not addressed quickly, could grow into a far bigger problem. Despite the damage, Iran still seems to control a stockpile of highly enriched uranium. If enriched further, this material could be used to build several nuclear bombs. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance has acknowledged the risk and promised that Washington will act in the coming weeks—starting with talks that may soon resume with Tehran. President Trump insists that no new nuclear deal is needed. But the reality is more complicated. Real peace and long-term stability require smart diplomacy. Only through open discussions and strong verification can the world be sure about what nuclear capabilities Iran may still have. Iran's earlier strategy was to stay close to nuclear weapon capability without crossing the line—hoping it would prevent attacks. That strategy now lies in ruins. The recent strikes didn't just hit nuclear facilities; they also targeted military and political sites. This could push Iran to actually pursue nuclear weapons in secret. If that happens, Iran may avoid using big, well-known sites like Natanz or Fordow. Instead, it might choose small, hidden locations—harder to detect, even with advanced spy tools. Iran already has the ingredients: enriched uranium, high-tech centrifuges, and trained experts. Rebuilding its program could take months, not years. Even if Iran chooses not to restart its weapons program, the world must stay alert. Years of careful monitoring, funding, and cooperation will be needed to make sure nuclear ambitions don't quietly return. Iran's past record of hiding its activities adds to the challenge. Winning back global trust won't be easy. Making things harder is Iran's worsening relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)—the world body that oversees peaceful use of nuclear technology. In the past, the IAEA played a crucial role in enforcing the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). That deal gave inspectors access to key Iranian sites—some of which have now been destroyed. Tensions with the IAEA didn't begin with the recent war. In 2018, when the Trump administration pulled out of the JCPOA, Iran was still in compliance. But after that, Tehran began rolling back its own commitments. By 2021, it had stopped following the 'Additional Protocol,' which allowed IAEA inspectors deeper access. Most special monitoring measures under the JCPOA were also shut down. Despite limited access, the IAEA continued some inspections and found that Iran's nuclear program was growing more advanced. But Iran's refusal to cooperate pushed the IAEA's Board of Governors to declare, on June 12, that Tehran had violated its global commitments. The next day, Israel launched its military campaign. U.S. officials cited the IAEA report to justify their strikes. Even during the conflict, the IAEA urged Iran to remain in contact with its emergency team. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi reminded the U.N. Security Council: 'Nuclear sites and materials must not be hidden or put at risk during war.' Now that the guns have fallen silent, the big question is: what role can the IAEA still play? Iran is still a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), which requires it to report all nuclear sites and allow inspections under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. But the future of cooperation looks uncertain. Iran is angry. Its leaders feel the world didn't do enough to protect its nuclear sites. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has openly criticised the international community. Senior advisor Ali Larijani even warned the IAEA chief: 'Once the war ends, we will deal with Grossi.' Iran has already announced that it will stop sharing certain information with the IAEA. Its parliament has passed a bill calling for a complete halt to cooperation. In the days ahead, global leaders must tread carefully. It's important to understand Iran's genuine concerns and political pressures—without letting them become excuses for restarting a secret weapons program. The line between frustration and manipulation is thin and dangerous. Talks between the U.S. and Iran are expected soon. One of the top priorities should be restoring verification measures. The world needs to know what equipment, material, and expertise Iran still has—and whether these could be used to rebuild the nuclear program. A similar crisis happened after the first Gulf War, when Iraq gave up its nuclear plans but kept blocking inspectors. The world was never fully sure if Iraq had truly stopped, leading to years of doubt and foreign intervention. That approach didn't bring peace—and we must not repeat that mistake with Iran. If we want lasting peace, not just a pause between crises, countries must work together through international agreements and transparent systems. Recent events have shown the power of U.S. and Israeli intelligence—but also the risk of relying only on secret reports, which can be misread or misused. Rebuilding trust with Iran will be hard. But without cooperation and clear rules, the next crisis will be harder to prevent—and nearly impossible to stop once it begins.
eNCA
4 hours ago
- Politics
- eNCA
Trump says would bomb Iran again if nuclear activities start
USA - US President Donald Trump said Friday he had saved Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from assassination and lashed out at the supreme leader for ingratitude, declaring he would order more bombing if the country tried to pursue nuclear weapons. In an extraordinary outburst on his Truth Social platform, Trump blasted Tehran for claiming to have won its war with Israel and said he was halting work on possible sanctions relief. The tirade came as Iran prepared to hold a state funeral for 60 nuclear scientists and military commanders who were killed in the 12-day bombing blitz Israel launched on June 13. Iran says the scientists were among a total of at least 627 civilians killed. Trump said the United States would bomb Iran again "without question" if intelligence indicated it was able to enrich uranium to military grade. Iran has consistently denied any ambition to develop a nuclear arsenal. Trump accused the Iranian leader of ingratitude after Khamenei said in a defiant message that reports of damage to nuclear facilities were exaggerated and that Tehran had dealt Washington a "slap" in the face. "I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life," Trump posted. "I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, 'THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!'" Trump also said that he had been working in recent days on the possible removal of sanctions against Iran, one of Tehran's main demands. "But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more," Trump added, exhorting Iran to return to the negotiating table. Iran has denied it is set to resume nuclear talks with the United States, after Trump said that negotiations were set to begin again next week. Its government on Friday rejected a request by Rafael Grossi, the director of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, to visit facilities bombed by Israel and the United States, saying it suggested "malign intent." Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi hit out at Grossi personally in a post on X for not speaking out against the air strikes, accusing him of an "astounding betrayal of his duties." - 'Beat to hell' - Asked earlier in a White House press conference whether he would consider fresh air strikes if last week's sorties were not successful in ending Iran's nuclear ambitions, Trump said: "Sure. Without question. Absolutely." Trump added that Khamenei and Iran "got beat to hell". The war of words came with a fragile ceasefire holding in the conflict between Israel and Iran. Speculation had swirled about the fate of Khamenei before his first appearance since the ceasefire - a televised speech on Thursday. Khamenei hailed what he described as Iran's "victory" over Israel, vowing never to yield to US pressure. "The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration," the Iranian leader said. It was unclear if Khamenei would attend Saturday's state funeral in Tehran. The commemorations begin at 8:00 am (0430 GMT) at Enghelab Square in central Tehran, to be followed by a funeral procession to Azadi Square, about 11 kilometres (seven miles) across the sprawling metropolis. In a televised interview on Friday, Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran's Islamic Development Coordination Council, had vowed it would be a "historic day for Islamic Iran and the revolution". On the first day of the war on June 13, Israel killed Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami. He will be laid to rest after Saturday's ceremony, which will also honour at least 30 other top commanders. Armed forces chief of staff General Mohammad Bagheri will be buried with his wife and journalist daughter who were killed alongside him in an Israeli strike. Of the 60 people who are to be laid to rest after Saturday's ceremony, four are women and four are children. Tehran is still coming to terms with the damage wrought by Israel's bombing campaign, the capital's first taste of war since the devastating 1980-88 conflict with Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Israel bombed multiple residential neighbourhoods as it killed the senior figures being laid to rest on Saturday, many of them in their own homes. Retaliatory drone and missile fire by Iran killed 28 people in Israel, according to official figures.
The Herald Scotland
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Iran-Israel live updates: Fate of Iran's nuclear program still unknown
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. attack obliterated the Iranian program and prompted the ceasefire. However, a U.S. official briefed on the Defense Intelligence Agency's initial assessment told USA TODAY the core components of Iran's nuclear program appeared to remain intact. An outraged Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday countered by calling the bombings a "resounding success" and accusing some media outlets of "trying to make the president look bad." Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also chimed in, saying the bombings "failed to achieve anything significant," forcing Israel and the U.S. to abandon their attacks. "They could not accomplish anything," he said. "They failed to achieve their goal. They exaggerate to conceal and suppress the truth." Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, took a middle road, saying the Iranian program suffered "enormous damage." He said three primary sites - Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan - were hit hard but that others locations were not affected at all. The nuclear program can be rebuilt, he said, but he declined to put a timeline on it. "What I can tell you, and I think everyone agrees on this, is that there is very considerable damage," Grosso told French radio. The U.S. intelligence community has been consistent: It does not believe Iran has been building a nuclear weapon. U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said as much when she testified to Congress about Iran's nuclear program in March. U.S. spy agencies, Gabbard said, "continue to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003." Trump and Netanyahu dismissed that assessment. Trump has doubted U.S. intelligence agencies before - for example, over who was responsible for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi (it was Saudi Arabia). Netanyahu, meanwhile, has been talking about Iran's existential nuclear threat to Israel for as along as he's been in the public eye. Still, U.S. intelligence agencies, Trump, Netanyahu and the United Nations' nuclear watchdog - the International Atomic Energy Agency - agree on the issue of Iran's uranium. All believe Iran had developed a large stockpile, and at a sufficiently enriched level, to sustain a nuclear reaction that could be used in a bomb if it decided to. But how quickly Iran would have been able to "sprint to a nuclear weapon," as Gen. Michael E. Kurilla put it on June 10, is also a matter of dispute, and estimates ranged from one week to one year. -Kim Hjelmgaard Trump ordered the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities - Operation Midnight Hammer - effectively joining a war that Israel started on June 13 when it began bombing Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure. Israel said it helped the U.S. coordinate and plan the strikes. Trump said all three sites were "totally obliterated." A Pentagon assessment was less definitive, and Iran says its nuclear program will hardly skip a beat. The actual damage and the impact on Iran's program could become more clear in coming days. The saga between Iran and the United States goes back seven decades and 13 presidents, a relationship that broke down after the people of Iran rose up in 1978 against a regime the United States helped install in 1953. While Trump's decision to bomb the country's nuclear sites has Americans on edge, the United States has a long history of punishing Iran's government, most often through sanctions. At the center of it all is the state of Israel, the United States' key ally in the region - one that consistently finds itself at war with Iran or with the Islamic extremist groups that are proxies for Iran's interests. For some key moments in the relationship between the U.S. and Iran, read more here. Contributing: Reuters
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
If necessary, will bomb Iran again: Trump
US President Donald Trump walks on the day of a "One Big Beautiful" event at the White House in Washington, DC., US, June 26, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS President Donald Trump said on Friday he would consider bombing Iran again if Tehran was enriching uranium to a level that concerned the United States, and he backed inspections of Iran's bombed nuclear sites. "Sure, without question, absolutely," Trump said when asked about the possibility of new bombing of Iranian nuclear sites if deemed necessary at some point. At a White House news conference, Trump said he plans to respond soon to comments from Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei, who said Iran "slapped America in the face" by launching an attack against a major US base in Qatar following last weekend's US bombing raid. Later, the US president responded by saying that he had prevented Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from being assassinated, as he lashed out at Iran's supreme leader for saying Tehran won the war with Israel. "I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH," Trump posted on Truth Social, adding that he had stopped work on easing sanctions against Iran following Khamenei's comments. Trump also said he would like inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency or another respected source to be able to inspect Iran's nuclear sites after they were bombed last weekend. Trump said he believes the sites were "obliterated." He has rejected any suggestion that damage to the sites was not as profound as he has said. But Trump said he would support the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, going in to check the sites that were bombed. The agency's chief, Rafael Grossi, said on Wednesday that ensuring the resumption of IAEA inspections was his top priority as none had taken place since Israel began bombing on June 13. However, Iran's parliament approved moves on Wednesday to suspend such inspections. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi indicated on Friday that Tehran may reject any request by the head of the agency for visits to Iranian nuclear sites. Trump also said he does not believe Iran wants to still seek a nuclear weapon after US and Israeli bombing raids. He said Iran still wants to meet about the way forward. The White House had said on Thursday that no meeting between the US and an Iranian delegation has been scheduled thus far. Iran's refusal Iran on Saturday rejected a request by UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi to visit facilities bombed by Israel and the United States, saying that it suggested "malign intent". International Atomic Energy Agency director general "Grossi's insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X. "Iran reserves the right to take any steps in defence of its interests, its people and its sovereignty." Araghchi again hit out at Grossi personally for not speaking out against the Israeli and US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, describing it as an "astounding betrayal of his duties". He charged that the IAEA chief had "directly facilitated... the unlawful Israeli and US bombings" by "obfuscating" Iran's efforts to allay the watchdog's concerns in a May 31 report that accused it of "less than satisfactory" cooperation.
