“We Don’t Know Where Iran’s Highly Enriched Uranium Is Anymore”: United Nations

The Director General of the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, has revealed that it is no longer possible to verify the current location of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, as ongoing Israeli attacks are obstructing inspectors’ access.

He made this statement in an interview with Bloomberg News and clarified that Iran possesses 409 kilograms of highly enriched uranium—enough to build approximately 10 nuclear weapons. This material was, in principle, supposed to be secured under IAEA supervision at an underground facility in Isfahan, but its location is now “unclear.”

Grossi told Bloomberg TV, “I’m not sure. During war, all nuclear installations are shut down, and inspections or routine activities cannot take place.”

According to Bloomberg, Grossi’s statement highlights a major global risk emerging from the attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Although Israel’s attacks may have affected Iran’s ability to further enrich uranium, the world could lose track of the already prepared and dangerously enriched stockpile.

“IAEA Has Received No Information on Iran’s Safety Measures”

The IAEA stated that before the Israeli attacks, its inspectors were visiting Iranian facilities more than once daily. However, Iran has not yet clarified what measures it has taken to safeguard the stockpile.

Grossi said, “We have not been informed of any details. We do not know what kind of ‘safety measures’ have been implemented.” For now, the IAEA is monitoring through satellite imagery and has not yet found any indication that the uranium has been moved. However, if Iran has transferred the stockpile to a secret location, that would be a serious violation of the global nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).

“Dangerous Enrichment Levels, But No Clear Weaponization Efforts Observed”

Grossi also said that although Iran has not appeared to actively pursue making a nuclear weapon, no other country in the world is enriching uranium to this degree.

He added, “Many senior officials have said that Iran has all the pieces of the ‘nuclear puzzle’. The situation is highly ambiguous—and ambiguity is never good.”

“Could the Stockpile Be Moved to a Secret Location?”

According to the U.S. Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Iran’s enriched uranium could fit into just 16 cylinders, each 36 inches tall. This means that even if Israel destroys Iran’s nuclear facilities, the material could still be moved to a hidden location. And it is this possibility that has alarmed global monitoring agencies.