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Updated January 26th, 2023 at 09:42 IST

Iran has enough material for several nuclear weapons, warns IAEA chief before Tehran visit

The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said Tuesday he plans to go to Iran next month for “much needed” talks on getting it to resume cooperation.

Reported by: Digital Desk
Iran
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International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi on Wednesday warned that Iran had amassed enough material for “several nuclear weapons", saying that diplomatic efforts to prevent Tehram developing a nuclear weapon should restart. Speaking ahead of a planned visit to Tehran, Grossi told a European Parliament subcommittee in Brussels that Iran has not yet built a nuclear weapon and the West should redouble efforts to stop it from doing so.

The IAEA chief is heading to Tehran in February for a “much needed political dialogue” despite the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear deal signed with Iran in 2015, being “in a very bad shape,” he said. Grossi described the JCPOA as “an empty shell" and stated that diplomatic activity linked to reviving the 2015 nuclear deal is close to non-existent. “Nobody has declared it dead, but no obligation is being pursued, and … every limit that existed in the JCPOA has been violated several times,” Grossi said.

The Iranian nuclear chief said on Wednesday that interaction still exists between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with no dead end in the two sides' cooperation, Iranian Students' News Agency reported. Planning and consultations are underway for an upcoming visit by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to Tehran, President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting. In its official documents and reports, the IAEA has confirmed no sign of deviation in Iran's nuclear program, Eslami said, rejecting claims saying otherwise as "big lies" and "baseless accusations." The IAEA's inspectors are currently in Iran, he noted.

Not impossible for Iran to make nuclear bomb: Grossi

Iran has 70 kilograms (154 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity and 1,000 kilograms to 20% purity, according to Grossi. “They have amassed enough nuclear material for several nuclear weapons — not one at this point,” he said. The threshold for making nuclear weapons is considered to be nearly 90% purity.

Grossi, however, noted that the big stockpile of enriched uranium “doesn’t mean they have a nuclear weapon.” Building an atomic bomb would require designing and testing, he said. “I’m not saying it is impossible. And I’m not saying we should be complacent,” he said.

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Published January 26th, 2023 at 09:42 IST

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