Iran may restart its nuclear program within months, says IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi, despite recent U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warns that Iran still possesses both the infrastructure and expertise to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels. In an exclusive interview with CBS, Grossi revealed that critical sites such as Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan suffered severe but not total damage. Meanwhile, satellite imagery shows signs of repair and recovery, raising concerns that Iran could soon reactivate its centrifuges. Grossi also expressed uncertainty about the fate of Iran’s 400kg stockpile of 60% enriched uranium, enough to produce multiple nuclear bombs. Iran has suspended cooperation with the IAEA, rejected inspection requests, and threatened to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. While former President Trump claimed the strikes set Iran back by “decades,” leaked Pentagon reports suggest only a short-term delay of months. This alarming update comes amid a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel, after a deadly 12-day conflict that claimed hundreds of civilian lives. With both sides exchanging threats and the international community growing increasingly uneasy, the path forward is uncertain. Is diplomacy still possible? Can another nuclear crisis be avoided? Stay tuned to Democratic News TV for the latest updates on the Iran nuclear standoff. #IranNuclear #IAEA #UraniumEnrichment #MiddleEastTensions #USIsraelStrikes #IranWar #BreakingNews
05:23Iran is estimated to have stockpiled around 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, just below weapons grade.
05:32According to Grossi, if further refined, this material could theoretically produce more than nine nuclear bombs.
05:39While it remains unclear how much of this stockpile was destroyed or relocated before the strikes, initial U.S. and European intelligence reports suggest much of it survived.
05:52Some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved, Grossi noted.
05:58Iran's ambassador to the United Nations is rejecting calls for his country to abandon its uranium enrichment program in a new interview.
06:06The enrichment is our right, an enable right, and we want to implement it.
06:14There has to be clarification.
06:17Trump's claims versus ground reality President Trump, who ordered the U.S. strikes, maintains that Iran's nuclear ambitions have been crushed, even suggesting a resurgence of diplomatic interest in the Abraham Accords.
06:31However, his claims are being increasingly questioned by intelligence experts and international observers.
06:39A leaked preliminary Pentagon assessment indicated that the strikes may have delayed Iran's nuclear program by only a few months.
06:48Further, intercepted Iranian communications reportedly acknowledged that the destruction was not as comprehensive as expected.
06:56Iran pushes back against oversight in a sign of worsening diplomatic fallout.
07:02Iran's parliament has voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA.
07:07Tehran has denied Grossi's request to inspect the damaged facilities, including the crucial underground photo enrichment site.
07:16Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi dismissed the IAEA's demands as meaningless and malign in intent.
07:23Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other officials have offered conflicting accounts of the damage.
07:32While Khamenei downplayed the impact, Arachi admitted to serious losses.
07:53Additionally, Iran has signaled that it may reconsider its membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT, further escalating concerns among global powers.
08:06Casualties and the human toll the military exchange between Iran and Israel has not been without civilian cost.
08:14According to Iranian authorities, at least 627 civilians were killed during the 12-day conflict.
08:21In one of the deadliest incidents, 71 people reportedly died when Israel struck Tehran's even prison,
08:29a controversial facility previously sanctioned by both the US and EU for human rights violations.
08:51Iran also retaliated with missile attacks that killed 28 people in Israel,
09:00intensifying fears of a broader regional war before both sides agreed to a fragile ceasefire.
09:06A call for diplomacy amid uncertainty despite Iran's current resistance,
09:12Grosseye expressed hope that diplomatic channels could reopen.
09:15This whole situation will need a long-term solution and that solution must be diplomatic, he said.
09:24Under the 2015 nuclear deal, JCPOA, Iran was limited to enriching uranium to 3.67%
09:31and barred from enrichment at the Fodo plant for 15 years.
09:35But after Trump withdrew the US from the agreement in 2018,
09:41Tehran gradually violated its commitments,
09:43eventually resuming 60% enrichment by 2021.
09:49Grosseye emphasized that even military strikes cannot fully eliminate Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons.
09:57You're not going to solve this definitively with bombs.
10:00The knowledge and industrial capacity remain, he concluded.
10:06As the dust settles from the Assisraeli airstrikes on Iran,
10:10one thing is clear, the threat has not been eliminated.
10:15With enriched uranium stockpiles potentially untouched and key infrastructure recoverable,
10:21Iran may soon resume nuclear activities.
10:24The IAEA's warnings suggest that time is running out for diplomacy to prevail.
10:29In a region already strained by conflict and mistrust,
10:33any misstep could lead to a dangerous escalation with consequences far beyond the Middle East.
10:41The world watches, once again, on edge.
10:45I, Shibnath, on behalf of Democratic News TV, now signing off.
