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IAEA Chief Warns Iran Is ‘Not Far’ from Nuclear Bomb Ahead of Key Talks

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – On the eve of high-stakes talks in Tehran, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi issued a stark warning that Iran is dangerously close to acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Grossi arrived in Tehran on Wednesday and met with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. He is set to meet senior officials ahead of Saturday’s indirect U.S.-Iran talks in Rome.

“It’s like a puzzle. They have the pieces, and one day they could eventually put them together,” Grossi told French newspaper Le Monde in an interview published Wednesday.

“There’s still a way to go before they get there. But they’re not far off, that has to be acknowledged,” he said.

While Iran insists the IAEA should be the sole body responsible for monitoring any nuclear agreement, the U.S. administration has yet to decide. Behind the scenes, Israel is pressuring Washington to take the lead in supervising any deal. In his interview with Le Monde, Grossi emphasized, “Without us, any agreement is just a piece of paper.”

The IAEA reports that Iran is enriching uranium to 60% purity—near the 90% needed for weapons-grade material and well above the 3.67% limit set by the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal.

“It’s not enough to tell the international community ‘we don’t have nuclear weapons’ for them to believe you. We need to be able to verify,” said Grossi.

IRAN REJECTS U.S. DEMAND, SAYS URANIUM ENRICHMENT ‘NON-NEGOTIABLE’

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared Wednesday that uranium enrichment is “non-negotiable,” pushing back against U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff’s call to dismantle the program as part of any future agreement.

“Iran’s enrichment is a real, accepted matter,” Araghchi told reporters after a cabinet meeting. “We are ready to build confidence in response to possible concerns, but the issue of enrichment is non-negotiable.”

IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL NEEDS VERIFICATION

Any nuclear deal with Iran will depend on verifying its enrichment and weaponization capabilities, President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Monday.

“The first meeting was positive, constructive, compelling,” Witkoff told Fox News, referring to last week’s talks in Oman. While not calling for a complete dismantling of Iran’s program, he emphasized, “This is going to be much about verification on the enrichment program.”

“They do not need to enrich past 3.67 percent,” he said, citing the limit under the 2015 nuclear deal Trump withdrew from in 2018. “In some circumstances, they’re at 60 percent, in other circumstances 20 percent. That cannot be, and you do not need to run… a civil nuclear program where you’re enriching past 3.67 percent.”

The IAEA recently reported Iran possesses 274.8 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, approaching the 90 percent weapons-grade threshold.

MILITARY PREPARED IF DIPLOMACY FAILS

If diplomacy fails, the United States, along with Israel, is ready to proceed with military action against the Iranian nuclear program, as the Pentagon has deployed two carrier strike groups in the region, along with the build-up of fighter jets, bombers, and support aircraft positioned near Iran. The U.S. also deployed additional air defense systems in Israel in the event a war broke out with Iran.

IRAN’S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS CONNECTED TO PROPHECY?

While the West often views Iran’s nuclear program through a secular lens, the spiritual aspect, which plays a central role in driving Iran’s nuclear ambitions, should not be overlooked. Iran is the only country where Twelver Shi’ism is the state religion.

Twelver Shīʿism, the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, makes up about 85% of Shīʿas. “Twelver” signifies belief in twelve divinely appointed leaders, the Twelve Imams, with the last, Imam al-Mahdi, expected to return as the Mahdi. Twelvers see the Imams as Muhammad’s spiritual and political successors, guiding with justice and interpreting Islamic law and the Qur’an’s inner meanings. They are viewed as infallible (Ismah) and divinely chosen (nass).

The Twelvers believe that the Mahdi is expected to appear in times of extreme chaos, returning alongside Jesus as a messiah to bring peace and establish Islam globally.

Twelver beliefs, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and threats toward Israel and the West have raised concerns. Critics suggest that Iran’s Supreme Leader might incite conflict to hasten the 12th Imam’s arrival. Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad has even called for the Imam’s return at the UN, asserting that the Islamic Revolution’s primary goal is to prepare for his reappearance.