Iran ‘Weeks’ Away From Having Enough Uranium To Build Nuclear Bomb: IAEA Chief

Iran is “weeks rather than months” away from having enough enriched uranium to develop a nuclear bomb, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said in a report published on Tuesday.

“But that does not mean that Iran has or would have a nuclear weapon in that space of time,” he added in an interview with German news TV program DW.

Iran’s uranium enrichment levels being at near weapons-grade levels may cause alarm, but there is no direct proof that Tehran now has a nuclear weapon, the IAEA chief said.

A functional nuclear warhead requires many other things independently from the production of the fissile material, according to Grossi, who said that Iran’s objectives are “a matter of speculation.”

Iran has maintained that its nuclear program “only serves peaceful purposes.”

On Monday, the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said that nuclear weapons have no place in Iran’s nuclear doctrine.

“Iran has repeatedly said its nuclear program only serves peaceful purposes. Nuclear weapons have no place in our nuclear doctrine,” he said during a press conference in Tehran.

Grossi has urged Iran to allow the agency more access in the country, which he said would decrease the speculation around Tehran’s nuclear program.

“I have been telling my Iranian counterparts time and again… This activity raises eyebrows and compounded with the fact that we are not getting the necessary degree of access and visibility that I believe should be necessary,” he said.

“When you put all of that together, then, of course, you end up with lots of question marks.”

The IAEA chief also highlighted unresolved IAEA findings, including traces of enriched uranium in unexpected locations, exacerbating doubts about Iran’s transparency when it comes to its nuclear program.

“This has been at the center of this dialogue that I have been and I am still trying to conduct with Iran.