IAEA director states ‘we don’t know’ where Iran’s enriched uranium is
(MENAFN) A significant amount of enriched uranium in Iran—estimated at over 400 kilograms—remains unaccounted for following recent airstrikes by Israel and the United States, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi told CBS in an interview aired Sunday.
“We don’t know where this material could be,” Grossi admitted, adding that some of it may have been destroyed in the attacks or relocated in advance. The missing uranium, enriched to 60% purity, is still below weapons-grade (90%), but the quantity is theoretically sufficient to produce more than nine nuclear bombs if further enriched.
The strikes began with an Israeli offensive on June 13, based on claims that Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon—claims the IAEA and U.S. intelligence had not substantiated. On June 22, the U.S. joined the campaign, targeting key nuclear sites including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Tehran strongly denied the accusations and responded with retaliatory strikes. A ceasefire, brokered by the U.S. last week, has since taken effect.
Despite the damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, Grossi warned that Iran could potentially resume its enrichment activities within months, as technical knowledge and expertise cannot be erased. He also noted that Iranian officials had alerted the IAEA on June 13 that measures were being taken to protect sensitive materials.
According to a Western diplomat cited by Reuters, satellite imagery suggests that uranium from the Fordow site may have been moved shortly before the attacks, with trucks seen outside the facility in the days leading up to the strikes.
Former IAEA inspector Olli Heinonen explained that verifying the fate of the uranium will be a slow process involving detailed forensic analysis and environmental sampling. He cautioned that some of the material might now be buried under rubble or otherwise unreachable.
Iran has since halted cooperation with the IAEA and denied inspectors access to the bombed sites. The Iranian parliament also voted to suspend participation in routine monitoring under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, accusing the agency of failing to prevent illegal military actions.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed skepticism about any uranium being relocated prior to the strikes, calling such an operation “very hard” and claiming Iran didn’t have time to move anything in its rush to protect itself.
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