Speculation over Iran’s ability to bounce back from devastating U.S. and Israeli strikes on its nuclear infrastructure may be premature, as the head of the UN nuclear watchdog revealed that Tehran could resume uranium enrichment within months.
In an interview with CBS News, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stated that despite serious damage inflicted during the 12-day war, Iran retains the technical capacity to restart portions of its nuclear program in a relatively short timeframe.
“They can have, you know, in a matter of months, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium — or even less than that,” Grossi said, according to a transcript released Saturday.
The revelation comes after Israel launched a bombing campaign on June 13, targeting multiple Iranian nuclear and military facilities, claiming the goal was to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons — a charge Tehran continues to deny. Shortly after, the United States bombed three critical sites tied to Iran’s atomic infrastructure. U.S. President Donald Trump insisted those strikes had set Iran’s program back by “decades.”
However, Grossi countered that assessment, noting, “Some [of the infrastructure] is still standing.” More critically, he raised concern about the possible relocation of Iran’s estimated 900-pound stockpile of highly enriched uranium prior to the attacks.
The uranium, enriched to 60 percent purity, is well above levels used for civilian energy but still under the threshold for weapons-grade material. If further refined, the existing stockpile could theoretically be used to build more than nine nuclear weapons.
“We don’t know where this material could be,” Grossi admitted. “Some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved. There has to be a clarification.”
Amid the rising tensions, Iran’s parliament voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, and Tehran has rejected Grossi’s request to inspect damage at key sites — most notably the Fordo enrichment facility.
“We need to be in a position to ascertain, to confirm what is there, and where it is and what happened,” Grossi urged.
Former President Donald Trump, speaking to Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, claimed the stockpile had likely not been moved, saying, “It’s a very hard thing to do — plus we didn’t give much notice.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced strong support for the IAEA’s monitoring efforts, praising the agency’s professionalism and Grossi’s leadership amid one of the most sensitive nuclear standoffs in years.
The full interview with Rafael Grossi is scheduled to air Sunday on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.
