IAEA Chief Warns Iran Could Resume Uranium Enrichment Within Months

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has cautioned that despite recent U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, Tehran could resume uranium enrichment within a matter of months.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi told CBS News that while the targeted strikes—especially at facilities such as Fordow and Natanz—were a “severe setback,” they did not fully dismantle Iran’s capabilities.

“They can have … in a matter of months, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium,” Grossi stated, underscoring that Iran still retains both the technical expertise and physical infrastructure required.

Grossi added that military strikes cannot remove the scientific know-how underpinning uranium enrichment and emphasized only robust inspection and diplomacy can offer long-term oversight. With IAEA inspectors currently barred from Iran, he warned that verification remains elusive—and that Iran may already have moved sensitive stockpiles as tensions persist ⁠.

Grossi’s remarks challenge claims by U.S. President Trump that the strikes had set Iran’s program back “by decades.” Instead, intelligence suggests the delay may last only weeks or months, not years.

With input from Al Jazeera