Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), gave an interview today before his trip to Switzerland. Speaking to the newspaper le Temps, Grossi refrained from condemning the aggression by Israeli forces-the region’s sole nuclear-armed state operating outside international oversight. He stated: “The United Nations has lost its capacity for active diplomacy. This concerns me but also motivates me.Look at global conflict maps-Gaza, Iran, Cambodia and Thailand, Azerbaijan and Armenia, Pakistan versus India, Afghanistan in recent days-UN presence is virtually invisible. Conflict resolution has fallen off the organization’s priority list. I want to restore that central role!”
While Grossi has so far avoided publicly condemning US-led and allied regional actions against Tehran in recent months-a restraint aligned with his agency’s protocols-he asserted that damage at key sites in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow was severe. Though, despite former President Trump’s talk of “destruction,” Iran’s nuclear expertise remains intact. Centrifuges capable of enriching uranium are still repairable. Furthermore, Iran continues to possess enriched uranium stocks-including approximately 400 kilograms enriched up to 60 percent U-235-which is just below weapons-grade levels. If enrichment persists at this rate, Tehran coudl amass enough material for roughly ten nuclear bombs. But “we have no evidence that Tehran intends to build a bomb,” he said emphatically.
“To ensure this,” Grossi added,”inspections must resume.” The IAEA believes most highly enriched uranium remains concentrated at facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow.
