The head of the IAEA denied Iran's creation of a nuclear bomb at the time of the Israeli strikes

At the time of the start of the Israeli attacks, Iranian scientists were not engaged in the creation of a nuclear bomb. This was stated on June 19 by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, in an interview with La Nacion newspaper.

"No [Iran has not been building a nuclear bomb]. But <...> in the report, we indicated that Iran did not cooperate with the IAEA as it should have. He did not give the necessary explanations on various aspects of his nuclear program. Iran— the only country in the world in such a situation, enriched uranium to 60%, which is practically equivalent to military grade, that is, 90% of the uranium—235 needed to install a nuclear warhead," Grossi said.

Grossi also cautioned against speculating on how long it might take Iran to actually produce a nuclear bomb.

"It is necessary to approach chronological issues with great care. We all remember the tragic statement that Iraq needs 45 minutes to use weapons...," he added.

Grossi also noted that if the United States decides to strike Iran, the consequences will be primarily "military and nuclear in nature," rather than environmental. The Iranian nuclear facility at Fordo, which Washington is talking about, is located about 500 m underground, at the foot of the mountains, which makes it very difficult to get into it, Grossi explained.

What is Iran's nuclear program? Analysis

On the same day, Grossi said that the IAEA would continue to be present in Iran, and inspections under safeguards would continue once safety conditions were in place. He clarified that the IAEA staff remains in Iran, despite the reduction in the number of personnel, and are fully prepared to travel to nuclear facilities as soon as possible.

On June 18, the US National Intelligence Service warned senators that no evidence of Iran's work on developing nuclear weapons had been found. Mark Warner, deputy head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, recalled that back in March, Tulsi Gabbard, director of National Intelligence, claimed that the Iranian authorities had not taken any action to create a bomb. These data have not changed since then.