The Head Of The IAEA Calls Iran Has Sufficient Material To Create Several Nuclear Weapons

Rafael Grossi. (Wikimedia Commons/IAEA Imagebank)

JAKARTA - The head of the UN nuclear watchdog on Tuesday described a nuclear deal that now does not apply between Iran and Western countries as 'empty shells', implying it would visit Tehran to maintain dialogue and discuss the country's nuclear activities.

Speaking to members of the European Parliament's Security and Defense Subcommittee in Brussels, Belgium Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said he hoped to make some progress during his visit to Tehran next month.

"One thing is true: they have collected enough nuclear material for some nuclear weapons, not one, at this time," Grossi said, claiming that 70 kg of uranium has been enriched with 60 percent purity and 1,000 kg to 20 percent, as reported by The National News on January 25.

It is known, uranium must reach a threshold enriched to 90 percent to make nuclear weapons.

Grossi further explained that the West must continue diplomatic efforts to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, as Tehran does not yet have them.

"That's why we have to stay connected (with Iran), we have to keep working, we must not give up," he said.

"It is known that diplomatic activities related to reviving the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), currently do not exist," Grossi said.

Last year, the European Union led talks aimed at trying to re-launch the deal, after the US withdrew from it in 2018.

Last November, Grossi said Iran had produced uranium enriched by up to 60 percent. Meanwhile, the JCPOA limited Iran's uranium enrichment by 3.67 percent in exchange for sanctions relief.

Grossi said he was "blind" on many aspects, including how much material, how much equipment and how many centrifuges Iran currently has.

"In my report, I have said that we can try reconstructing puzzles but that will be an additional task we must have," he said.

"However, the IAEA exists to offer a possible diplomatic solution to these matters, for dialogue, to build lost trust," he said.