Diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran developing a nuclear weapon should restart, said International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, who warned that Tehran has amassed enough material for “several nuclear weapons.”
Speaking ahead of a planned visit to Tehran, Grossi told a European Parliament subcommittee in Brussels on Wednesday that Iran has not yet built a nuclear weapon and the West should redouble efforts to stop it from doing so.
Uranium enriched to more than 90% can be weaponized. Iran has 70 kilograms (154 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity and 1,000 kilograms to 20% purity, according to Grossi.
The IAEA chief is heading to Tehran in February for a “much needed political dialogue” despite the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear deal signed with Iran in 2015, being “in a very bad shape,” he said.
Grossi described the JCPOA as “an empty shell,” saying diplomatic activity linked to reviving the 2015 nuclear deal is close to non-existent.
“Nobody has declared it dead, but no obligation is being pursued, and … every limit that existed in the JCPOA has been violated several times,” Grossi said.
