‘Not aware of Iran’s near-weapons-grade uranium stockpile location now’: IAEA chief

The UN nuclear watchdog’s chief, Rafael Mariano Grossi, revealed in an interview on Wednesday that the agency now cannot verify the whereabouts of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile since Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites.

Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also told Bloomberg in the interview that no other country in the world is enriching uranium at this level of 60%—which is technically almost equivalent of 90%, which is needed to have a nuclear weapon.

On being asked whether Iran’s supply of 60% enriched uranium remains safely located at the underground Isfahan facility, which Israel has repeatedly struck since it began its campaign on Friday, Grossi said, “To say safely, I’m not so sure.”

‘Tehran had warned stockpile could be moved’

Grossi said Tehran had warned him that the stockpile could be moved in the event of an Israeli attack.

Some 400 kg of uranium, enough for making 10 nuclear warheads, was previously stored under an IAEA seal in Isfahan.

“At a time of war, all nuclear sites are closed,” Grossi said, adding further, “All our inspectors who are still in Iran… are not inspecting, no normal activity can take place.”

Grossi then said, “No country in the world is enriching uranium at this level of 60%—which is technically almost equivalent of 90%, which is needed to have a nuclear weapon… Many high officials have said Iran has all the pieces of the puzzle. There has been a lot of ambiguity, and this is never good.”

Before Israel’s preemptive strikes on the Islamic Republic, IAEA inspectors visited Iranian nuclear sites more than once a day, but Iran did not inform the IAEA of any “special measures” it planned to take to protect its uranium stockpile from being damaged in an attack, Grossi said.

“We haven’t been informed of anything in detail. We don’t know what these protective additional measures to be,” he said.

‘Iran aware its stockpile needs to be under constant IAEA supervision’

“Iran is aware that this stockpile needs to be there under constant IAEA supervision,” Grossi said.

Grossi said important facilities at Iran’s Natanz enrichment facility were “badly hit” during Israeli strikes, but there was no significant damage to the site at Fordow.

Isfahan has been repeatedly hit, with a few buildings being affected, he added.

The IAEA is relying on satellite imagery and has seen no sign of the uranium being moved—which would be a violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, said the Bloomberg report.

“It’s important to return to the diplomatic table as soon as possible because what’s at stake is very serious,” Grossi said with concern.

Iran’s highly enriched uranium could fit into 16 cylinders measuring 36 inches (91.4 centimetres) in height, according to the US government’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information.

“Many high officials have said Iran has all the pieces of the puzzle,” the director general said. “There has been a lot of ambiguity, and this is never good.”