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IAEA Chief Says No Evidence Iran Building Nuclear Bomb

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi says no proof Iran builds nuclear weapons. He raises concern over enriched uranium stockpile and limited inspection access.

The head of the UN's atomic agency on Thursday dismissed accusations against Iran about progressing nuclear activities got from US intelligence.

Note: The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, made it clear that they have found the evidence of Iran setting a nuclear weapon. He did, however, express concern about Iran’s massive stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and its failure to give the IAEA more-than-full access for inspections. “I have been very clear and consistent in my reporting on Iran’s nuclear program: All the while there has not been a scintilla of evidence that Iran is making a bomb...,” Grossi wrote in a post on X.

Iran's nuclear program statement by Grossi

Grossi also added, “Therefore, based on the earlier reports that I issued, if and only Iran does not cooperate with [the]IAEA to clarify outstanding safeguards issues the Agency will be unable to provide assurance that all nuclear material in Iran remains for peaceful purposes.” In an interview with CNN, Grossi also reiterated that there was no sign of a systematic project to develop a nuclear weapon in Iran. But he raised concerns about accumulation of military-grade material and lack of transparency.

'We never had information indicating...'

We’ve never had information that there was a structured, systematic program to build, to construct a nuclear weapon. So it was a matter of balancing the two things.” “Yes, lots of reasons for concern, but there was not going to be a bomb tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Clearly, countries and that would apply to the U.S. or Israel...might have in fact the impression that all these activities are aimed directly and squarely into manufacturing a nuclear weapon,” he said on CNN.

The claim: Iran has developed (or was allowed to develop) nuclear weapons

The IAEA DG's statements were made during heightened US-Iran tensions following a joint US-Israel strike which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. US President Donald Trump had alleged that Iran would have developed nuclear weapons without their actions. “If we didn’t do what we’re doing right now, you would’ve had a nuclear war,” he said in a news conference on Tuesday night (local time).

Witkoff says Iran had said it possessed sufficient enriched uranium

On the same day, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Iran had enough enriched uranium to produce 11 nuclear devices before US and Israel launched an attack against the country over the weekend. “Both Iranian negotiators told us, straight up, without, you know, no shame — there’re 460 kilograms of 60% control in that country and they know that could make 11 nuclear bombs and that was their opening negotiating position,” Witkoff said on Fox News.