(International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General, Rafael Grossi, attends an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria. AP)Iran may be just months away from restarting uranium enrichment at levels needed to build a nuclear bomb, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has told the BBC.Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that Iran still has the technology and capability to resume its nuclear programme if it chooses. Speaking to CBS News, a BBC media partner, Grossi said Tehran could have “in a matter of months… a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium.”His comments come after recent military strikes by the United States and Israel targeted Iran’s nuclear and military facilities. While US President Donald Trump claimed the strikes had “totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, Grossi said this was not the case. “Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there,” he told CBS News on Saturday.Also read | Trump says he will bomb Iran again ‘without question’ if it continues uranium enrichmentOn 13 June, Israel launched airstrikes on suspected nuclear sites, claiming Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon. The US then carried out further strikes, hitting three of Iran’s main nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. However, a leaked preliminary Pentagon report earlier this week suggested that the attacks may have only delayed Iran’s nuclear programme by a few months.Iran has responded with mixed statements. Its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the strikes had not caused any serious damage, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the impact as “excessive and serious.” Iran has so far refused to let the IAEA inspect the bombed sites. On Friday, Araghchi posted on social media that “Grossi’s insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent.”Tehran has also moved to suspend cooperation with the IAEA. On Wednesday, Iran’s parliament voted to cut ties with the agency, accusing it of taking sides with the US and Israel. This has further complicated international efforts to monitor Iran’s nuclear programme.Despite this, Grossi said he remained open to talks. “I have to sit down with Iran and look into this, because at the end of the day, this whole thing, after the military strikes, will have to have a long-lasting solution, which cannot be but a diplomatic one,” he said.Story continues below this adThe tension follows the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal, which had placed limits on Iran’s uranium enrichment. Under the deal, Iran was only allowed to enrich uranium up to 3.67%, well below the level needed for a bomb. The agreement also barred enrichment at Fordow for 15 years.However, Trump pulled the US out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Tehran began breaching the agreement. By 2021, it had resumed enrichment at Fordow and had built up enough uranium enriched to 60% purity to make several nuclear weapons, according to the IAEA.Both Iran and Israel have now agreed to a ceasefire following the recent escalation. But Iran’s military remains on alert. On Sunday, Iranian armed forces chief Abdolrahim Mousavi warned that Tehran was not convinced Israel would stick to the truce. “We are ready to respond with force,” he said, in remarks reported by state media. Iran continues to insist that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Iran-Israel War