June 29 \u2013 Iran has the capacity to start enriching uranium again \u2013 for a possible bomb \u2013 in \u201ca matter of months\u201d, the head of the UN\u2019s nuclear watchdog has said.<\/p>\n
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the\u00a0US strikes on three Iranian sites<\/a>\u00a0last weekend had caused severe but \u201cnot total\u201d damage, contradicting Donald Trump\u2019s claim that Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities were \u201ctotally obliterated\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cFrankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there,\u201d Grossi said on Saturday.<\/p>\n Israel attacked nuclear and military sites in Iran on 13 June, claiming Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon. The US later joined the strikes, dropping bombs on Iran\u2019s three nuclear facilities: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.<\/p>\n Since then, the true extent of the damage has been unclear.<\/p>\n On Saturday, Grossi told CBS News, the BBC\u2019s US media partner, that Tehran could have \u201cin a matter of months\u2026 a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium\u201d.<\/p>\n He added that Iran still possessed the \u201cindustrial and technological capacities\u2026 so if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again.\u201d<\/p>\n The IAEA is not the first body to suggest that Iran\u2019s nuclear abilities could still continue \u2013 earlier this week,\u00a0a Pentagon intelligence assessment<\/a>\u00a0found the US strikes only set the programme back by months.<\/p>\n Trump retorted furiously by declaring that Iran\u2019s nuclear sites were \u201ccompletely destroyed\u201d and accused the media of \u201can attempt to demean one of the most successful military strikes in history\u201d.<\/p>\n For now, Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire.<\/p>\n