Iran nuclear material

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency has warned of the “urgency” in seeking a diplomatic deal to prevent a war between the United States and Iran, citing the risk posed by Iran’s enriched nuclear material, which he said remained largely intact despite US attacks on three major facilities last year, and the risk that any new attack could spark a broader conflict.

United States and Iran concluded A round of negotiations on Tuesday in Geneva, in which both sides said progress had been made, but a US official told News themezone that “there were still many details to discuss.” The official said Iran was expected to return within a couple of weeks with detailed proposals “to address some of the gaps open in our positions.”

While that diplomacy continues, President Trump has reinforced the US military presence in the region to back up its threat of new attacks if an agreement is not reached to curb Iran’s nuclear program.

In an interview with French broadcaster TF1 published online Wednesday, Rafael Grossi, director general of the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency, called the Geneva talks, during which he met with Iranian officials in the Swiss capital, “two steps forward” but said “more efforts are still needed.”

“The problem is that we don’t have much time,” Grossi said.

“Most of the material that Iran had accumulated until June of last year, despite the [U.S.] bombings and attacks, it is still there, in large quantities, where it was at the time of the attacks,” Grossi said. “Some part may be less accessible, but the material is still there. From the point of view of non-proliferation, the material remains. “That is why there is so much interest (I would say urgency) in reaching an agreement that prevents new military actions in the region.”

Mr. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said after “Operation Midnight Hammer” in June that US strikes had “destroyed” Iran’s nuclear program, but Questions arose quickly about the magnitude of the damage caused.

A US Ranked Initial Assessment found that the attacks had set back Tehran’s nuclear program by a matter of months, while Trump said the nuclear program had been set back “basically decades.”

As Russian warships and aircraft joined Iranian military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman this week, Grossi stressed that it was vital to avoid another military confrontation between the United States and Iran, citing a “real risk of spillover and expansion to other countries.”

“Everything must be done to avoid that situation,” he told the French network.

“This is a key moment in a long history marked by both successes and failures. It is also a crucial moment in a long-standing stalemate that has, of course, been shaped by conflict, including the ’12-day war’ in June last year. There is now a chance for a dialogue that is truly beginning, for the first time, to take shape,” the IAEA chief said. “The fact that I myself have been invited by the parties involved is a positive sign, because we are starting to discuss concrete issues: what really needs to be done.”

Trump has said he will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons capabilities under any circumstances.

When asked if the IAEA had seen any indication that Iran might currently be working to develop such a capability, Grossi made it clear that the agency had not.

“No,” he told TF1, adding: “On the contrary, today I see a willingness on the part of both parties to reach an agreement.”

But Grossi’s cautious optimism came amid increasingly urgent rhetoric from Washington, with sources telling News themezone on Wednesday that while Trump had not made a final decision, he was at least considering an attack on Iran as soon as this weekend.

“Now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we are doing,” Trump said Thursday at a meeting of his Peace Board in Washington. “If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. But bad things will happen if it doesn’t happen.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Thursday urged all Polish citizens in Iran to leave the country immediately.

“Do not go to this country under any circumstances,” he said, citing the “very real” possibility that conflict would make evacuations impossible in the near future.