Iran’s 60% enriched uranium sufficient for up to 12 bombs, IAEA says

Iran’s reserves of highly enriched uranium — reportedly still buried beneath debris following last year’s airstrikes — could theoretically be used to manufacture up to 12 nuclear weapons, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi has said.

He also cautioned that, months after the attacks, inspectors have yet to regain access to the affected facilities. The remarks were reported by Iran International.

Grossi stated that Iranian authorities have prevented IAEA inspectors from entering major uranium enrichment sites in Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. These facilities sustained damage during the 12-day conflict involving Israel, the United States and Iran in June of last year.

According to Tehran, approximately 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to slightly above 60% purity — a level approaching weapons-grade — remain trapped under the rubble. Western governments have voiced concern regarding the status and security of this material.

“The material is there, and it is sufficient to produce several, perhaps a dozen devices,” Grossi said. He added that the agency has a “firm belief” that the uranium is located at underground sites, though he acknowledged that full certainty is impossible without direct physical inspection.

Grossi explained that Iran has conditioned renewed access on the adoption of “specific measures or protocols,” which he characterised as “essentially a political position.”

“For us, compliance means providing full access for inspections,” he said, emphasising that while the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty allows Iran to enrich uranium, it also obliges the country to permit inspections to ensure nuclear material is not diverted from peaceful purposes.

IAEA inspectors have likewise been unable to visit a newly identified underground facility in Isfahan that had been scheduled for inspection on June 13 — the day Israel launched its bombing campaign.

By Tamilla Hasanova