Iran can enrich uranium for a bomb inside months, UN nuclear chief says

[ad_1] Iran has the capability to begin enriching uranium once more - for a attainable bomb - in "a matter of months", the top of the UN's nuclear watchdog has mentioned.

Rafael Grossi, head of the Worldwide Atomic Power Company (IAEA), mentioned the US strikes on three Iranian websites final weekend had precipitated extreme however "not complete" harm, contradicting Donald Trump's declare that Iran's nuclear amenities had been "completely obliterated".

"Frankly talking, one can not declare that all the things has disappeared and there's nothing there," Grossi mentioned on Saturday.

Israel attacked nuclear and navy websites in Iran on 13 June, claiming Iran was near constructing a nuclear weapon. The US later joined the strikes, dropping bombs on Iran's three nuclear amenities: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.

Since then, the true extent of the harm has been unclear.

On Saturday, Grossi advised CBS Information, the BBC's US media companion, that Tehran might have "in a matter of months... a couple of cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium".

He added that Iran nonetheless possessed the "industrial and technological capacities... so in the event that they so want, they are going to be capable of begin doing this once more."

The IAEA will not be the primary physique to recommend that Iran's nuclear skills might nonetheless proceed - earlier this week, a Pentagon intelligence evaluation discovered the US strikes solely set the programme again by months.

Trump retorted furiously by declaring that Iran's nuclear websites had been "utterly destroyed" and accused the media of "an try and demean some of the profitable navy strikes in historical past".

For now, Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire.

However Trump has mentioned he would "completely" think about bombing Iran once more if intelligence discovered that it might enrich uranium to regarding ranges.

Iran, however, has despatched conflicting messages on how a lot harm was precipitated.

In a speech on Thursday, Iran's Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei mentioned the strikes had achieved nothing important. Its international minister Abbas Araghchi, nevertheless, mentioned "extreme and severe" harm was carried out.

Iran's already-strained relationship with the IAEA was additional challenged on Wednesday, when its parliament moved to droop cooperation with the atomic watchdog, accusing the IAEA of siding with Israel and the US.

The 2 nations attacked Iran after the UN physique final month discovered Tehran to be in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the primary time in 20 years.

Iran insists that its nuclear programme is peaceable, and for civilian use solely.

Regardless of the Iranian refusal to work together with his organisation, Grossi mentioned that he hoped he might nonetheless negotiate with Tehran.

"I've to take a seat down with Iran and look into this, as a result of on the finish of the day, this entire factor, after the navy strikes, must have a long-lasting resolution, which can't be however a diplomatic one," he mentioned.

Below a 2015 nuclear take care of world powers, Iran was not permitted to counterpoint uranium above 3.67% purity - the extent required for gasoline for business nuclear energy crops - and was not allowed to hold out any enrichment at its Fordo plant for 15 years.

Nevertheless, Trump deserted the settlement throughout his first time period in 2018, saying it did too little to cease a pathway to a bomb, and reinstated US sanctions.

Iran retaliated by more and more breaching the restrictions - notably these regarding enrichment. It resumed enrichment at Fordo in 2021 and had amassed sufficient 60%-enriched uranium to probably make 9 nuclear bombs, in accordance with the IAEA.