IAEA: Possibility That Iranian Nuclear Material Still Exists... Urgent Need for On-Site Inspection

Notification of 'Special Measures' for Protection of Nuclear Material in Iran
"Possible Existence of Nuclear Material Can Be Assumed"

Rafael Grossi, Secretary General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on June 25 (local time), suggested the possibility that a significant amount of Iran's highly enriched uranium may not have been destroyed even after airstrikes by Israel and the United States.

According to major foreign news outlets, Secretary General Grossi, during a press conference held at the Chancellor's residence in Vienna, Austria, disclosed a letter he received from Iran on June 13 in response to a question about whether Iran had reported the status of its highly enriched uranium stockpile.

Grossi IAEA Secretary General. Yonhap News

He stated, "Iran said in the letter that it would take 'special measures' to protect nuclear material and equipment," adding, "However, they did not specify what those measures were." He continued, "Nevertheless, it was clear that the intention of those measures was to protect nuclear material and equipment," and added, "We can assume there is a possibility that this material still exists."

Previously, U.S. media reported that, according to an initial assessment by U.S. Department of Defense intelligence agencies, although the U.S. military bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities with bunker busters, they not only failed to completely destroy key elements of Iran's nuclear program, such as highly enriched uranium, but only set back Iran's nuclear development by several months.

President Donald Trump refuted these reports as false, insisting that Iran's nuclear facilities were completely destroyed by the airstrikes. On the other hand, Iran claims that it moved approximately 408 kg of uranium enriched to 60% to another secret location before the Israeli airstrikes.

Secretary General Grossi stressed that an on-site inspection must be urgently conducted to confirm the extent of damage to Iran's nuclear facilities caused by the airstrikes. He also named the return of inspectors to Iran's nuclear facilities as the "top priority," stating that this is necessary to accurately verify the amount of uranium stockpiled and the scale of the damage.