Iran retains the capacity to advance its nuclear weapons program despite US and Israeli airstrikes this year, and could enrich uranium to weapons grade within weeks, UK-based newspaper The Times reported on Tuesday citing the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog.
The chief of the UN nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday that Iran's ties to the body must continue despite a European move to trigger international sanctions and that rejecting inspections would only increase Tehran's woes.
"Our relationship with Iran is permanent (and) must continue," Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in an interview with the BBC outside the UN headquarters.
"Iran has very clear commitments and obligations ... those are permanent, as I said, and they go beyond the issue of the snapback."
"If they were to start saying no to inspections, then there will be a bigger, a new problem, and we don't want, I don't think we need, a bigger problem in Iran.
Grossi added that Washington was keen, despite President Trump having said the Iranian nuclear program was "obliterated" by US attacks in June, to mend Iran-IAEA ties.
"There are some exchanges, I must say that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is very active on those I, for one, I am in constant contact with him," he said.
"I know that in spite of all these difficulties that are very clear for everyone to see, and the actions in June are proof of that, there's still a will here in the United States to have an agreement that would, you know, put this relationship back to normalcy."
