U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Chief Contradicts Trump’s ‘Total Obliteration’ Claim On Iran | EUROtoday

Rafael Grossi, the top of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, disputed President Donald Trump’s evaluation that Iran’s missile websites had been “totally obliterated” by U.S. airstrikes earlier this month.

In an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” broadcast on Sunday, Grossi, the director common of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stated intelligence reveals that Iran might have “in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that.”

Still, Grossi famous that the U.S. operation concentrating on three Iranian nuclear websites — Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — did have an effect, however maybe not one as decisive as Trump has advised.

“It is clear that there has been severe damage, but it’s not total damage,” he added. “Iran has the capacities there; industrial and technological capacities. So if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again.”

The White House has thus far not addressed Grossi’s feedback.

The president informed Americans that “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated” by U.S. airstrikes launched on June 21 amid Tehran’s 12-day battle with Israel. He has since lashed out at journalists who reported on a preliminary U.S. evaluation displaying the strikes would merely delay Iran’s nuclear program by months, threatening lawsuits towards each CNN and The New York Times for reporting on the Pentagon report.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has since claimed Iran’s nuclear program was “severely damaged,” citing what he described as a “body of credible intelligence.”

Meanwhile, Grossi stated it’s potential that Iran could have moved a few of its enriched uranium previous to this month’s U.S. assault, stressing the necessity for transparency and nuclear inspectors to be allowed to renew their work within the nation.

“Some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved,” Grossi stated. “So there has to be, at some point, a clarification. If we don’t get that clarification, this will continue to be hanging, you know, over our heads as a potential problem.”

Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn’t straight reply a query on whether or not the U.S. believed Iran had moved its enriched uranium forward of the airstrikes.

“We’re looking at all aspects of intelligence and making sure we have a sense of what was where,” he stated after lashing out on the Fox News reporter who requested for readability on the problem.

While Grossi confused the significance of putting a diplomatic resolution on Iran’s nuclear program, Trump stated he’s not at present speaking to the nation’s representatives because the June 21 operation in a put up on his Truth Social platform early Monday.