IAEA chief warns Iran can resume uranium enrichment 'in months,' counters Trump's 'obliterated' nuclear sites claim

Iran could begin enriching uranium again "in a matter of months," despite the damage to its nuclear facilities from recent US and Israeli airstrikes, the head of the UN's atomic watchdog said on Saturday (Jun 28). In an interview, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said Iran retained the capacity to resume parts of its nuclear programme sooner than many expected. Even as US President Donald Trump and his administration continue to claim that Iran's nuclear sites were "obliterated" and its programme set back by "decades", Grossi in an ominous warning said "some is still standing" and that Tehran could be producing enriched uranium soon.

IAEA chief's warning

Speaking during an interview with CBS News, Rafael Grossi said that Iran "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".

His remarks cast doubt on US President Donald Trump's repeated assertions that Iran's nuclear ambitions had been set back decades by the June 22 bombings, in which the US struck three Iranian sites: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Those strikes followed Israel's air campaign that began on June 13, targeting a dozen Iranian military and nuclear-related sites.

Trump said the US attack, dubbed "Operation Midnight Hammer," used "bunker buster" bombs to obliterate Iran's underground enrichment infrastructure. But if Grossi is to be believed, "Some is still standing."

Acknowledging concerns about the location of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium — estimated at 408.6 kilograms, enriched to 60 per cent purity — which, if further refined, would be enough for nine nuclear bombs — the IAEA chief admitted: "We don't know where this material could be."

"So some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved. So there has to be at some point a clarification," he added.

His statement comes as Iranian lawmakers have voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, and Tehran has denied Grossi's request to inspect the bombed sites, particularly Fordow — the main uranium enrichment facility.

"We need to be in a position to ascertain, to confirm what is there, and where is it and what happened," noted Grossi.

US backs IAEA's critical verification need

Even as Grossi voiced uncertainty regarding claims that Iran moved its enriched uranium stockpile before US strikes, Trump denied that such a thing could happen. In an interview with Fox News, the POTUS insisted, "It's a very hard thing to do plus we didn't give much notice...They didn't move anything."

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday expressed firm backing for the IAEA and its leadership amid threats from hardline Iranian lawmakers who have called for Grossi's arrest or even execution.

Underscoring Washington's support for "the IAEA's critical verification and monitoring efforts in Iran," he commended Grossi and his team for their "dedication and professionalism."

"Calls in Iran for the arrest and execution of IAEA Director General Grossi are unacceptable and should be condemned," he added.