Before the sudden US attack on Iran's nuclear sites, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi holds, “To say safely, I’m not so sure.”

On being asked whether Iran’s supply of 60% enriched uranium remains safely located at the underground Isfahan facility, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi holds, “To say safely, I’m not so sure.”

Israel has repeatedly struck the said underground Isfahan facility since it began its campaign. So, the UN nuclear watchdog’s chief, Grossi revealed in an interview that the agency now cannot verify the whereabouts of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile since Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites.

Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also said that no other country in the world is enriching uranium at this level of 60%—which is technically almost equivalent of 90%, needed to have a nuclear weapon.

Grossi said that ‘Tehran’ had warned him that the stockpile could be moved in the event of an Israeli attack. Some 400 kg of uranium, enough for making 10 nuclear warheads, was previously stored under an IAEA seal in Isfahan.

“At a time of war, all nuclear sites are closed,” Grossi said, adding further, “All our inspectors who are still in Iran… are not inspecting, no normal activity can take place.” Grossi then shared, “No country in the world is enriching uranium at this level of 60%—which is technically almost equivalent of 90%, which is needed to have a nuclear weapon… Many high officials have said Iran has all the pieces of the puzzle. There has been a lot of ambiguity, and this is never good.”

Before Israel’s preemptive strikes on the Islamic Republic, IAEA inspectors visited Iranian nuclear sites more than once a day, but Iran did not inform the IAEA of any “special measures” it planned to take to protect its uranium stockpile from being damaged in an attack, Grossi said.

“We haven’t been informed of anything in detail. We don’t know what these protective additional measures to be,” he said. “Iran is aware that this stockpile needs to be there under constant IAEA supervision,” Grossi said.

Grossi said important facilities at Iran’s Natanz enrichment facility were “badly hit” during Israeli strikes, but there was no significant damage to the site at Fordow. Isfahan has been repeatedly hit, with a few buildings being affected, he added. The IAEA is relying on satellite imagery and has seen no sign of the uranium being moved—which would be a violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, said as per a report.

“It’s important to return to the diplomatic table as soon as possible because what’s at stake is very serious,” Grossi said with concern.

Iran’s highly enriched uranium could fit into 16 cylinders measuring 36 inches (91.4 centimeters) in height, according to the US government’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information.

“Many high officials have said Iran has all the pieces of the puzzle,” the director general said. “There has been a lot of ambiguity, and this is never good.”

Prior to this, IAEA had said that it now believes that the Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s Natanz enrichment site had “direct impacts” on the facility’s underground centrifuge halls. This is the first time the IAEA has assessed damage from the strikes in the underground parts of Natanz, which is the main enrichment facility of Iran’s nuclear program.

“Based on continued analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery collected after attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz,” the International Atomic Energy Agency wrote on X.

While the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, the IAEA confirmed that one of the above-ground buildings at Natanz—the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant—was destroyed.

The attack also damaged the electricity infrastructure, including the main power supply, emergency backup systems, and a substation.

Regarding radiation levels outside Natanz, the UN’s atomic watchdog said they remain unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no radiological impact on the population or the environment from the incident. However, it noted that there is both radiological and chemical contamination inside the facility.

The IAEA warned that uranium compounds, like uranium hexafluoride, may have been dispersed and could pose health risks if inhaled or ingested.

“The risk can be effectively managed with appropriate protective measures, such as using respiratory protection devices while inside the affected facilities,” it added.

The watchdog further said that other major Iranian nuclear facilities, including Fordow, Bushehr, Khondab, and the Tehran Research Reactor, have not been damaged. However, four buildings were hit at the Esfahan nuclear site, including a uranium conversion plant and a fuel manufacturing facility.

“At the Esfahan nuclear site, four buildings were damaged in attack: the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor fuel manufacturing plant, and the UF4 to EU metal processing facility, which was under construction. As in Natanz, off-site radiation levels remain unchanged,” the IAEA statement said.

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