Iran's potential nuclear threat is a significant risk to other nations. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Gossi warned that Tehran has amassed enough material to create "several nuclear weapons."
Grossi spoke ahead of a scheduled visit to Iran's capital, telling a European Parliament subcommittee in Brussels on Wednesday that Tehran was still not finished building a nuclear weapon. He also urged the West to redouble efforts to prevent Iranian officials from completing it.
Iran's Nuclear Threat
When uranium is enriched to more than 90%, it can already be weaponized. According to Grossi, Iran has 70 kilograms of element that was increased to 60% purity and 1,000 kilograms that was enriched to 20% purity.
The chief of the IAEA is set to visit Tehran in February for what officials call a "much-needed political dialogue." The planned trip comes despite the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear deal signed in 2015 with Iran, being in "very bad shape," as per CNN.
Gross claimed that the JCPOA was only an "empty shell" and added that diplomatic activity linked to reviving the nuclear deal was almost non-existent. He noted that while no one declared the deal dead, no obligation was pursued regarding the matter. The IAEA chief also said that every limit that existed in the JCPOA has, several times, been violated.
Last year, the IAEA asked Tehran to explain why there were traces of uranium found in three areas that should not have been dedicated to nuclear activity. In response, Iran removed 27 of the IAEA's cameras from the areas.
Gross on Tuesday said that the act left the IAEA "blind" on several aspects, including being able to determine how much material, equipment, and centrifuges exist in the area. The head of Iran's atomic agency, Mohammad Eslami, confirmed the IAEA chief's planned visit to Tehran.
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Decision Over a Nuclear Deal
On the other hand, United States President Joe Biden is under fire over his decision regarding Tehran and the nuclear situation. Several lawmakers took a shot at the Democrat's administration in the past month, arguing that despite claims, he was not ready to let go of a potential deal, as per Fox News.
In a statement, a spokesman for Sen. Ted Cruz said that the Texas Republican believes that the Biden administration is "ideologically obsessed" with re-entering a nuclear deal with Tehran. He argued that the president prioritizes that deal more than other crucial interests, including supporting women-led protests against the Iranian government and assisting Ukraine.
The spokesman added that Cruz expected the Biden administration to deepen its obsession over the deal. Biden's Special Envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, was reported to have conducted recent meetings with Iran's ambassador to the UN, Saeed Iravani.
The situation comes as Saudi Arabia Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Juberi said during the World Economic Forum in Davos that Iran's nuclear program violates international agreements. During the forum held last week, al-Juberi noted that Tehran had no obligation to give up its nuclear program but must comply with the IAEA's terms, said CNBC.
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