Veteran CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour has prompted International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi to publicly acknowledge that the agency has no proof of Iran making systematic efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
In an exchange shared on her X (formerly Twitter) account, Amanpour quoted Grossi as saying:
“What we informed and what we reported was that we did not have — as in coincidence with some of the sources you mentioned there — that we did not have any proof [of] a systematic effort to move into a nuclear weapon.”
Grossi’s admission comes in the wake of the IAEA Board of Governors’ approval of a controversial censure resolution against Iran last week, which accused Tehran of failing to meet its nuclear obligations. The resolution was based in part on Grossi’s latest quarterly report — criticized by some as biased and lacking substantiated evidence.
Just hours after the resolution was adopted on Thursday, Israel launched targeted strikes on Iran’s Natanz and Fordow nuclear facilities. The coordinated attacks also included assassinations of several Iranian military commanders, scientists, and civilians in the early hours of Friday.
The nuclear obligations referenced in Grossi’s report are tied to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump. Critics argue that Grossi conflated those JCPOA-specific provisions with Iran’s legally binding commitments under the Safeguards Agreement — an entirely separate framework that remains in force.
The IAEA’s credibility and impartiality have come under renewed scrutiny as regional tensions escalate and Iran’s nuclear program remains a flashpoint in global diplomacy.
