IAEA chief says Iran may revive uranium enrichment quickly

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, warns that Iran could restart uranium enrichment in months, The Arab Weekly plus agencies reported on June 29th.

Grossi rejected claims that Iranian nuclear production was wiped out, he said: “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. One cannot claim that everything has disappeared.”

He also stated that it remained uncertain if Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles had been destroyed or had moved. “Some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved.”

Moreover, he stressed that any destruction of nuclear facilities would have limited results given Iran’s military and scientific know-how. He said: “Iran is a very sophisticated country in terms of nuclear technology. You cannot disinvent this. You cannot undo the knowledge that you have or the capacities that you have.”

The warning closely follows signals from Tehran that it might seek to isolate its nuclear programme from foreign observation, as reported by Maghrebi on June 26th and also reported by Reuters via the state-affiliated news organisation Nournews. The warning also follows a leaked intelligence report that raised doubts about the effectiveness of American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, as reported by ITV on June 25th.

The Foreign Minister of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, said on June 27th that Iran might reject any IAEA appeals to inspect sites bombed in the recent airstrikes, accusing the agency of political posturing.

Araghchi wrote on X: “[Rafael Grossi’s] insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent. Iran reserves the right to take any steps in defence of its interests, its people, and its sovereignty.”

IAEA’s warning further complicates the de-escalation efforts that follow the short-lived but still flammable former conflict between Iran and the US as well Israel’s joint action.

The Arab Weekly plus agencies, Maghrebi.org, Reuters, Nournews, ITV