IAEA chief: Iran’s nuclear intentions remain unclear, but no evidence of weaponisation

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, stated in an interview that while Iran possesses significant nuclear capabilities, the agency has found no concrete evidence that Tehran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons.

Grossi emphasised that the IAEA does not assess the intentions of states but rather monitors and reports on their nuclear activities.

“They didn’t have nuclear weapons. Okay? This needs to be said. One can have an assessment nationally that they were close, okay? One can have an assessment nationally that they were close, okay? And I don't get into that, because we, the IAEA, does not judge intentions. The IAEA looks at the activities of a country and reports it to the world,” he told CBS’s Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan, Caliber.Az reports.

While Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium is known and has been a source of international concern, Grossi pointed to unresolved issues regarding undeclared nuclear material. 

"We had found traces of uranium in some places in Iran, which were not the normal declared facilities,” he said. "We were simply not getting credible answers. If there was material- where is this material? So there could be even more. We don't know."

Grossi dismissed criticism that recent reports from the IAEA had escalated tensions, particularly amid rising instability in the region, stating that the information in the latest report was not new. 

Despite calls from some countries to declare that Iran is close to producing a nuclear weapon, Grossi said the agency refused to make such claims without evidence. 

We didn't see a program that was aiming in that direction, but at the same time, they were not answering very, very important questions that were pending," he added.

He reiterated that Iran retains the technical capacity to ramp up uranium enrichment quickly, but stressed that the agency cannot verify the peaceful nature of the program due to lack of transparency. 

By Sabina Mammadli