IAEA chief calls for urgent US-Iran deal, warns nuclear material ‘still there, in large quantities’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IAEA chief calls for urgent US-Iran deal, warns nuclear material ‘still there, in large quantities’")
International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Grossi Photograph: (AFP)
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi cited the risk presented by Iran’s enriched nuclear material, which he said remained largely intact despite the US strikes on three major facilities last year. Most of the material that Iran had accumulated is still there in large quantities, he said.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency, has warned of ‘urgency’ in agreement to avert a war between the United States and Iran, citing the risk presented by Iran’s enriched nuclear material, which he said remained largely intact despite the US strikes on three major facilities last year. The US and Iran concluded a round of negotiations on Tuesday in Geneva, with both sides saying progress was made.
President Donald Trump has bolstered the US military presence in the region to back up his threat of new strikes if no agreement is reached to rein in Iran’s nuclear programme.
‘The problem is, we don’t have much time’
In an interview with French network TF1, the IAEA director general said, “The problem is, we don’t have much time.”
“Most of the material that Iran had accumulated up until June of last year, despite the [US] bombings and the attacks, is still there, in large quantities, where it was at the time of the strikes,” Grossi said.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
“Some of it may be less accessible, but the material is still there. From a non-proliferation standpoint, the material remains. That is why there is so much interest—I would say urgency—in reaching an agreement that would prevent new military action in the region.”
Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had claimed after ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’ in June 2025 that the American strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme, but questions quickly arose over the extent of the damage inflicted.
‘Vital to avoid another military confrontation between the US and Iran’
As Russian warships and aircraft joined Iranian military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman this week, Grossi stressed that it was vital to avoid another military confrontation between the US and Iran, citing a “real risk of spillover and expansion to other countries.”
“Everything must be done to avoid that situation,” he told the French network.
“This is a key moment in a long history marked by both successes and failures. It is also a pivotal moment in a long-standing deadlock that has, of course, been shaped by conflict—including the ‘12-day war’ in June last yea,” Grossi said.
“The fact that I myself was invited by the parties involved is a positive sign, because we are starting to discuss concrete issues—what actually needs to be done.”
Trump has said he will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapons capacity, under any circumstances.
Also Read: ‘This is tax money’: Supreme Court slams poll-eve freebie culture, questions fiscal logic
Trump considering attack on Iran this weekend: Reports
Meanwhile, media reports said Trump was considering an attack on Iran as soon as this weekend but had not made a final decision.
“Now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we’re doing,” Trump said on Thursday at the Board of Peace meeting in Washington. “If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. But bad things will happen if it doesn’t.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Thursday urged any Polish citizens in Iran to leave immediately. “Do not go to this country under any circumstances,” he said, citing the “very real” possibility of a conflict making evacuations impossible in the near future.
