Middle East: Nuclear guard: Iran could resume uranium enrichment

According to the boss of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran could put several centrifugal systems into operation to enrich uranium despite the attacks on the nuclear facilities “within a few months. The capacities are available, Rafael Grossi told the US broadcaster CBS News. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi had stated that the damage to the Iranian nuclear facilities according to the Israeli and US attacks were “considerable”. US President Donald Trump said the attacks had thrown Iran’s nuclear program back for years.

However, Grossi pointed out that one could not say “that everything has disappeared and nothing is there”. According to a copy of the interview published by the US broadcaster, the IAEA boss said: “You can, you know within a few months, I would say that several cascades of centrifuges are put into operation that produce enriched uranium or less than”. The IAEA is particularly interested in verifying the whereabouts of almost gun -to -be uranium in Iran. “We don’t know where this material could be,” the head of the authority told the broadcaster.

According to an IAEA report, Iran has more than 400 kilograms of uranium with an almost weapon-compatible purity degree of 60 percent. According to diplomats, some nuclear weapons could be manufactured if the material was further enriched to 90 percent. The leadership in Tehran insists that they do not want to build nuclear weapons, but in many countries there was a worry that the Islamic Republic is getting closer and closer to the ability to produce nuclear weapons.

In response to the Israeli and US attacks on the nuclear facilities, Iran’s Parliament recently voted for a suspension of cooperation with the IAEA until the “security” of the nuclear systems is guaranteed. In a management report, Grossi emphasized that the inspections had to be continued. He pointed out that according to a contract between his organization and Iran, this was prescribed.