Vienna, Austria on June 30, 2025.
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), issued this warning during a press briefing in Vienna and expressed growing international alarm over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and cooperation with inspectors.
Grossi’s comments coincided with an apparent decrease in IAEA monitor access at Iranian nuclear facilities, according to reports by the agency. Tehran has significantly decreased transparency since 2022, making it increasingly difficult to verify status and intent of Iranian enrichment activities.
Grossi highlighted an alarming trend. Iran retains the technical capacity and infrastructure to enrich uranium at weapons-grade levels within just months if they decide to do so.
Although Iran does not yet reach 90% enrichment – which would qualify it for weapons grade enrichment – they have reached levels up to 60% enrichment, just a short technical step away. At such levels of enrichment it would exceed the requirements for civilian energy or medical uses, heightening Western powers’ concerns about Iran’s potential development of nuclear weapons.
Iran has consistently denied that its nuclear program is designed for military use. Officials in Tehran insist the program is solely peaceful, designed for energy production and scientific research; however, its failure to fully comply with international inspections and rapid accumulation of enriched uranium has raised suspicions.
Diplomatic attempts to revitalize the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement limiting Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, have failed. While President Donald Trump decided to withdraw from it in 2018, with European signatories encouraging both parties to return to negotiations, these diplomatic initiatives have hit an impasse.
Grossi stressed the urgency of reinstating full IAEA oversight, warning that time was running out to prevent further escalation. Transparency is not an extravagance in nuclear monitoring but essential. Without visibility of what’s happening on the ground, risks for miscalculation increase dramatically and potentially escalate further.
Grossi’s latest remarks have yet to be addressed formally by Iranian officials; however, state media have accused the IAEA of political bias and acting under pressure from Western governments. Meanwhile, Israeli and U.S. intelligence agencies have increased surveillance on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure with speculation growing as to possible preemptive actions should diplomacy fail.
The international community remains split in its response to Iran’s impasse, with some advocating for negotiations while others suggest harsher sanctions and possible containment strategies as solutions.
As tensions flared up between countries, the IAEA director delivered a clear reminder: nuclear proliferation “is no abstract concept; it poses real and pressing challenges, without which things could quickly worsen”.