Red alert for USA, Donald Trump! Iran is close to having nuclear bomb, claims United Nations nuke watchdog head

United Nations nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi warned Wednesday that Iran was "not far" from possessing a nuclear bomb, shortly before he arrived in Tehran for talks.

Western countries including the United States have long suspected Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, an allegation Tehran has consistently denied, insisting that its programme is for peaceful civilian purposes.

"It's like a puzzle. They have the pieces, and one day they could eventually put them together," Grossi told French newspaper Le Monde in an interview published on Wednesday. "There's still a way to go before they get there. But they're not far off, that has to be acknowledged," he said.


The UN watchdog was tasked with overseeing Iran's nuclear programme and its compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal which collapsed three years later when the United States withdrew from it in President Donald Trump's first term.

"It's not enough to tell the international community 'we don't have nuclear weapons' for them to believe you. We need to be able to verify," said Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

He arrived on Wednesday in Tehran where he is due to meet Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Mohammad Eslami, who heads Iran's nuclear energy agency.

Grossi's visit comes ahead of a second round of talks between Iran and the United States on Saturday, a week after the two countries held their highest-level talks since Trump abandoned the nuclear deal in 2018.

Both sides called the first meeting "constructive". Earlier, Araghchi said Iran's enrichment of uranium under its nuclear programme was "non-negotiable" after US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff called for it to end.

"Iran's enrichment is a real, accepted matter," he told reporters.

His remarks came after Witkoff said Tuesday Iran must "stop and eliminate" enriching uranium as part of any nuclear deal. The day before, Witkoff had urged only that Iran return to the 3.67 percent enrichment ceiling set by its 2015 accord with major powers.

In its latest report, the IAEA said Iran had an estimated 274.8 kilos (605 pounds) of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent. That level far exceeds the 3.67 percent ceiling set by the 2015 deal, but still falls short of the 90 percent threshold required for a nuclear warhead.

After returning to office in January, Trump reimposed sweeping sanctions against Iran under his policy of "maximum pressure".

In March, he wrote to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging talks but also warning of possible military action if they fail to produce a deal. Ahead of Saturday's new round of talks, Araghchi condemned what he called the Trump administration's "contradictory and conflicting positions".

FAQs

Q1. What do we know about Iran's uranium stockpile?
A1. IAEA said Iran had an estimated 274.8 kilos (605 pounds) of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent. That level far exceeds the 3.67 percent ceiling set by the 2015 deal, but still falls short of the 90 percent threshold required for a nuclear warhead.

Q2. Who is supreme leader of Iran?
A2. Iran's supreme leader is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.