The chief of the United Nations’ nuclear oversight body emphasized the urgency for the United States to finalize a nuclear agreement with Iran, highlighting the need for vigilant oversight of Tehran’s enriched nuclear materials.
Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), noted that despite joint American and Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites last year, Iran still retains access to significant quantities of highly enriched uranium.
US intelligence assessments have consistently warned that if Iran’s uranium enrichment progresses from its current 60% to the 90% threshold needed for weapons-grade material, the nation could potentially assemble a nuclear weapon within weeks.
Grossi, who was present at the Geneva negotiations between the U.S. and Iran this week, stressed the critical need for America to finalize the deal, aiming to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions and prevent potential conflict.
“The clock is ticking,” he told the French media outlet TF1.
“The majority of the enriched material that Iran gathered by June of last year remains intact despite the bombings and attacks, still in substantial quantities at the same locations affected by the strikes,” Grossi added.
“Some of it may be less accessible, but the material is still there. From a non-proliferation standpoint, the material remains,” he added.
“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.”
The IAEA chief said that war cannot be allowed to break out, warning that the conflict would throw the Middle East into chaos and make it that much more difficult to monitor Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump has said he would never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons, and has threatened a looming attack on Iran that could come within the next week if the Islamic Republic fails to make a deal.
“If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. But bad things will happen if it doesn’t,” Trump said Thursday. “Maybe we’re going to make a deal. You are going to be finding out over the next, probably, 10 days.”
The president’s threats come as the US continues to build up its military forces in the Middle East, with a second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, en route to the region.
