In an exclusive interview with The Jerusalem Post, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said: “I see positive aspects in President Trump’s approach to engaging with Iran-the idea that we should sit down and resolve the issue, or else it could lead to renewed military conflict.” webangah News Agency reported.
Grossi claimed: “If an agreement is reached, there will certainly come a time when the IAEA can no longer remain behind the scenes and must be directly at the negotiating table.”
He added: “Everywhere I go, I hear that ‘Iran must not have nuclear weapons,’ and Iranians know this too.There’s also the domino effect-if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, it will have consequences for the entire region and beyond.”
Noting Iran’s advanced nuclear program, grossi stated: “Iran’s nuclear program has significant breadth and depth. Many of its facilities are exceptionally well-protected; inflicting damage on them would require massive destructive force.”
“We need to find common ground between the U.S. and Iran on enrichment,” he continued. “The JCPOA is no longer relevant. Today’s Iran is different from ten years ago.”
The IAEA chief reiterated claims of finding traces of enriched uranium in locations where no nuclear activity should have occurred.He acknowledged current details gaps due to Tehran restricting agency access but emphasized activities had continued unabated.
Grossi dismissed allegations of Iranian non-cooperation while asserting: “We always find out eventually-you can build anything, but simple tests reveal what happened even 25 years later.” He described some Iranian responses as unsatisfactory.
“We know exactly how much uranium Iran enriches through regular inspections,” he said while highlighting dependence on centrifuge production capacity exceeding JCPOA limits with advanced models developed recently.
The director general repeated demands for explanations regarding enriched particles found at undeclared sites: “This isn’t an accusation-just asking logically what happened there? Where is this uranium?”
Citing meetings with Iranian presidents who denied concealing activities, Grossi insisted full access was needed for verification. He referenced warnings that Israeli attacks could push Tehran toward weaponization despite official denials.
“Iran now possesses enough enriched uranium for approximately ten nuclear bombs,” Grossi concluded while suggesting more time might be required for actual weaponization capability development.
