UN Nuclear Chief: Iran Could Restart Bomb-Level Uranium Enrichment Within Months

Iran could reestablish the capacity to enrich uranium for a nuclear bomb within “a matter of months,” according to Rafael Grossi, head of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, as questions mount over the true effectiveness of U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Grossi Contradicts Trump on Nuclear Site Damage

Speaking to CBS News, Grossi said the recent joint strikes had inflicted “severe but not total” damage on three major nuclear facilities—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. “One cannot claim that everything has disappeared,” he stated, contradicting former U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that Iran’s facilities were “completely destroyed.”

Iran’s Capacity Remains Intact

Grossi added that Iran retains the industrial and technical ability to resume uranium enrichment. “They could have a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium in a matter of months,” he warned. This assessment follows a leaked Pentagon report also suggesting that the strikes only delayed Iran’s program by months.

IAEA Access Suspended Amid Ceasefire Doubts

Tensions between Tehran and the IAEA escalated as Iran’s parliament voted to suspend cooperation with the nuclear watchdog, accusing it of siding with the U.S. and Israel. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed Grossi’s calls for site access as “possibly malign in intent.”

Despite the declared ceasefire, Iran’s armed forces chief Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi said Iran doubts Israel’s commitment to it and warned that Tehran is “ready to respond with force” if attacked again.

Iran had resumed high-level uranium enrichment following Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA nuclear deal. Prior to the strikes, the IAEA estimated Iran had stockpiled enough 60%-enriched uranium to produce multiple nuclear warheads. The agency has now been denied access to inspect damage or verify current stockpile locations.