Iran holds enough uranium to build ten nuclear weapons if it chose to enrich further, the UN atomic watchdog chief warned on Wednesday, but stressed that there was no sign Tehran seeks atomic arms.
In an interview with Swiss daily Le Temps, Rafael Grossi said Iran’s stockpile includes roughly 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, just short of weapons-grade.
“If it went further, Iran would have enough material for roughly ten nuclear bombs,” he added. “But we have no evidence that Tehran intends to build one.”
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that Tehran had resolved to race toward building nuclear weapons after they launched attacks on nuclear sites in a 12-day war in June.
The characterization appeared to contradict prior public US intelligence assessments. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
Asked how badly the Israeli and American strikes damaged Iran’s nuclear program in June, Grossi said the damage to key sites in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow was "severe."
Fear of renewed conflict
Tehran and the IAEA have yet to agree on how to resume the UN body's inspection of nuclear sites bombed by the United States and Israel.
“For now, Tehran is only allowing inspectors in dribs and drabs. It’s imposing limits out of security concerns – which I understand. But if diplomacy fails, I fear a renewed resort to force,” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general, Rafael Grossi said.
The conflict paused their activities and while an agreement was reached in September on a framework for restored cooperation, little progress has been made since.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has accused Western countries of instrumentalizing a technical dispute with the IAEA to deploy onerous sanctions.
Grossi, a veteran UN technocrat, is widely seen as interested in becoming the global body's next secretary-general.
He added that while US President Donald Trump speaks of “obliteration,” Iran’s technical know-how has not vanished.
Urging diplomacy
Grossi said inspections must resume to be certain, adding that the agency believes most of the highly enriched uranium remains at Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow.
He said he is confident in the agency’s assessment because inspectors visited those facilities shortly before the Israeli strikes and have since monitored them through satellite imagery.
“Countries tracking Iran’s program have reached the same conclusions as we have,” he said.
Grossi added that despite the escalation of regional tensions, Iran’s decision to remain within the international framework shows it still seeks a diplomatic route.
“After the twelve-day war, Iran could have cut ties with the international community, withdrawn from the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and become a pariah state like North Korea. It didn’t,” he said.
He commended that decision and said he continues to maintain diplomatic contact with foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.
“I’m maintaining diplomatic space by keeping regular contact with foreign minister Abbas Araghchi,” Grossi said.
Grossi's remarks come as Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said that Iran must rely on both its missile capabilities and diplomacy to safeguard national interests.
Iran faces stark economic and geopolitical challenges as a lingering impasse over its nuclear program led to the resumption of European-triggered international sanctions last month.
Western countries have called for Tehran to engage in renewed diplomacy with Washington and restored access to international nuclear inspectors.
Speaking at a seminar on “resistance diplomacy” at Ferdowsi University in Mashhad, Esmail Baghaei said: “We must use all tools to protect the country’s rights -- whether through missiles or diplomacy and negotiation.”
“The concept of resistance has now evolved and taken the form of resilience,” he said, adding that that Iran’s approach combines self-reliance with international engagement.
His comments appeared to strike a relatively moderate tone, two days after Iran's ultimate decision-maker Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appeared to reject a peace overture by President Trump and deployed sharp language at his nemesis.
The 86-year-old veteran ruler called Trump's repeated assertions that US attacks on June 22 had obliterated Iran's nuclear program "nonsense" and in a rare direct address to a US President told him to "keep dreaming."
Khamenei appeared to rule out renewed talks, calling reported US demands for curbs to Iranian missile ranges and Tehran's support for regional armed groups bullying and a
Baghaei said Iran faces powerful adversaries but remains capable of shaping developments within the international system.
“Our opponents invoke international law to justify their actions, so we must also rely on the same law to prove our rights,” he said. “Resistance diplomacy must be seen as an active instrument to secure national interests.”
He defended Tehran’s stance in the wake of the UN sanctions snapback mechanism, saying that Western powers had expected immediate compliance but were surprised by global resistance to reimposing restrictions.
Support for regional groups
Addressing Iran’s backing of allied groups in the region, Baghaei rejected the notion that Tehran created “proxy” groups.
“We did not create them,” he said. “The issues of Palestine and Lebanon did not begin in 1979 (when the Islamic Republic was established). These movements existed long before, and we have supported them based on our constitutional and strategic principles.”
Baghaei added that Iran’s support is “based on a defined framework” and that “to prevent harm, we must build allies within the international system.”
He said the resilience of such movements is enduring despite repeated attempts to weaken them.
“After two years, those who claimed resistance was finished end up sitting at the same table with them,” he said. “The foundations of resistance are deeply rooted and cannot be easily destroyed.”
On diplomacy and international law
Baghaei also defended Iran’s record on diplomacy, citing past cooperation with global institutions and negotiations with Washington.
He recalled that after the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran “remained committed for months” before gradually reducing compliance.
He also noted that indirect talks with the United States had taken place under both Trump and Biden but collapsed due to continued sanctions and regional tensions.
“When one side plans an attack and then invites you to a meeting, how can you attend such a session?” he said, referring to recent incidents.
Abbas Araghchi told reporters in the northeastern city of Mashhad that Iran remained committed to diplomacy but would not compromise on its national rights.
He said five rounds of indirect talks with Washington had taken place before the 12-day conflict in June that saw US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and that subsequent discussions on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly also failed due to US demands.
“This year, after five rounds of negotiations, the United States joined Israel’s military attack against Iran. Later, in New York, there was also an opportunity for a reasonable, mutually beneficial agreement -- but once again, the talks failed because of America’s excessive demands,” he said.
He added, “As long as the Americans persist in their policy of overreach and continue to make unreasonable demands, we will not return to the negotiating table.”
“Iran has always shown that it believes in peace and diplomacy,” Araghchi emphasized. “Wherever the country’s interests can be secured through dialogue, we will not hesitate to act. But the other side has repeatedly proven it does not adhere to diplomacy.”
The comments came as Araghchi arrived in Mashhad to attend a two-day regional diplomacy conference alongside senior Iranian officials, business leaders, and ambassadors to neighboring and Asian countries.
Earlier in the day, the foreign ministry spokesperson said Iran must rely on both its missile capabilities and diplomacy to safeguard national interests.
Speaking earlier in the day in the same city, Esmail Baghaei said: “We must use all tools to protect the country’s rights -- whether through missiles or diplomacy and negotiation.”
The collapse of the talks followed months of rising tension over Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, compounded by the reimposition of UN sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal’s snapback mechanism.
In an interview with ISNA, Shamkhani said national cohesion was vital in the face of external pressure and domestic challenges.
“We are all in the same boat shaped by the sacrifices of the martyrs of the Islamic Revolution, and it would be a shame if our differences created weaknesses,” he said.
He urged all political groups to “act together under the leadership of the Supreme Leader,” adding that adversaries were trying to exploit divisions to harm the country.
The comments came just days after footage surfaced online showing Shamkhani escorting his daughter at a wedding ceremony in a Tehran luxury hotel.
The video, shared widely on X since mid-October, appeared to show a large, Western-style celebration and drew sharp criticism from social media users accusing officials of hypocrisy amid the country’s deepening economic crisis and renewed enforcement of hijab rules.
The wedding reportedly took place in April 2024 at Tehran’s Espinas Palace Hotel. At the time, Iranian outlets estimated the cost at about 14 billion rials (over $21,000). The family did not comment on the reports, and Shamkhani has not publicly addressed the new controversy surrounding the footage.
Shamkhani, a former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and now a member of the Expediency Council, has long been a prominent figure in Iran’s security establishment. He also serves as the Supreme Leader’s representative in the National Defense Council.
Leak fuels political blame game
The video has drawn reactions even from hardline circles. Some conservative commentators questioned how senior officials could call for patience under sanctions while appearing at opulent private events. Others defended Shamkhani, saying the ceremony was private and attended only by family members.
Former state broadcaster chief Ezzatollah Zarghami described the exposure as “a new method of assassination,” accusing Israel of waging psychological warfare through cyberattacks. IRGC-linked Mashregh News also said the leak aimed to “undermine an effective official,” blaming both “foreign enemies and certain domestic circles.”
The hardline daily Kayhan, which is funded by the Supreme Leader’s office, went further, accusing allies of former president Hassan Rouhani and ex-foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of involvement. The paper called the release of the footage a “proxy character assassination,” saying that Shamkhani’s past criticism of Rouhani’s handling of nuclear policy had fueled political resentment.
Pro-hardline activists echoed that view online, arguing that the leak followed Shamkhani’s recent comments implicating the previous administration in the delayed acknowledgment of the 2020 downing of a Ukrainian airliner by the Revolutionary Guards.
Figures close to Rouhani have denied any connection to the leak. A source told the news outlet Khabar Online that the act was “unethical and contrary to Islamic norms.”
In a formal decree on Tuesday, Pezeshkian instructed the judiciary, the ministries of interior, intelligence, justice, foreign affairs, and economy, as well as the Central Bank, to implement the law in accordance with national regulations -- a condition that could limit its impact even as Tehran seeks to ease its isolation from the global financial system.
Under conditions set by parliament and endorsed by the Expediency Council, Iran will act “within the framework of the constitution,” and in cases where any provision of the convention conflicts with national laws, “domestic legislation will take precedence,” council spokesman Mohsen Dehnavi said.
The move, which follows years of political wrangling, comes just a day before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary in Paris on October 22–24, where delegates from over 200 jurisdictions will discuss mutual evaluations and global efforts to combat money laundering and terror financing.
Iran’s Financial Intelligence Unit chief, Hadi Khani, has traveled to Paris to attend FATF plenary for the first time in six years at the group’s official invitation, according to state media.
Khani, who also serves as deputy economy minister and secretary of Iran’s Anti–Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Council, is expected to outline Iran’s progress on its action plan, focusing on the recent approval of its accession to the UN Palermo Convention against transnational organized crime.
The Iranian delegation will brief FATF members on legislative and implementation steps and coordinate future meetings to address questions and clarify outstanding issues, IRNA reported.
In May, Iran’s Expediency Council, conditionally approved the country’s accession to the Palermo Convention, one of the two key legislative items tied to the FATF standards, alongside the CFT.
The Expediency Council, overseen by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, mediates disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council, a body that vets laws and candidates.
Supporters say joining the UN convention could help Iran align with FATF standards, reconnect with global banking systems, and attract investment, while hardliners warn it risks exposing financial channels used to evade US sanctions and fund regional allies.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf sent the bill to Pezeshkian for implementation under Article 123 of the constitution last week after lawmakers rejected a conservative-backed motion to block the move, clearing the way for Iran to finalize its accession.
Iran and North Korea remain the only two countries still outside the FATF framework.
