Iran still has enriched uranium, Israel admits
Iran still possesses enough nuclear material to build a bomb despite recent air strikes, a senior Israeli military official has said.
He also told reporters there were 'concerns' that Tehran would rush to build a crude nuclear weapon now that the conflict between the two nations was over.
The comments came as Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, rejected claims by Donald Trump that it would resume nuclear talks with the US next week.
On Wednesday, Iran's parliament approved legislation to suspend all co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog.
The senior Israeli defence official said on Friday: 'We understand that there is still enriched material in Iran.'
They added that the Israel Defense Forces would strike the Islamic Republic again if it detected future efforts to develop a nuclear weapon.
A ceasefire deal was agreed earlier this week to end the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran. The US also carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, including using bunker-busting bombs on the fortified Fordow enrichment facility.
Mr Trump claimed the raid caused 'total obliteration' and that it would take 'decades' for Iran to rebuild its nuclear programme.
The US president and senior administration officials also launched scathing attacks on reported leaks of US intelligence which suggested the campaign only set back Iran's ambitions by months.
But while praising the accuracy of the US's B2 stealth bombers in the strikes, the Israeli official said the prospect of Iran using its surviving enriched uranium to fashion a crude nuclear warhead in secret was 'a concern'.
'It's very hard to find every gram of enriched material,' he said. 'We are tracking this, also with our allies.'
He suggested that controlling whatever nuclear fuel Iran possesses could be best done through diplomatic channels.
Shortly before the conflict began, the IAEA said it believed Iran possessed just over 408kg of uranium enriched to at least 60 per cent. Further enriching the material to weapons-grade, around 80 to 90 per cent, is a relatively short process.
The watchdog said this could be enough for Iran to build 10 nuclear bombs.
Even before the campaign began, the prospect of Iran producing a warhead and then miniaturising it to mount a ballistic missile without detection was considered nearly impossible.
However, there have long been concerns that it could build a functional warhead that could be delivered manually, such as by boat or truck, undetected.
On Thursday, it was reported that two European governments believed the stockpile was not at the Fordow site at the time of the strike on Sunday.
Mr Trump had claimed during this week's Nato summit that talks between Iran and the US would begin next week.
But speaking during a television interview, Mr Araghchi said: 'Don't take Trump's words seriously. No agreement for renewed negotiations has been made.'
He added that Iran was 'reviewing its policies' following the attacks but said it was 'too early to judge whether successful negotiations are possible.'
The foreign secretary also admitted that US and Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear sites had caused 'serious damage,' although he said the full extent remained unclear as the country's Atomic Energy Organisation continued to assess the situation.
'These damages were not minor, and serious harm has been inflicted on our facilities,' he added.
Rafael Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief, said he had written to the Iranian government requesting permission to travel to the country and to resume nuclear inspections.
Tehran previously claimed it moved its enriched uranium before the US strikes, and Grossi said inspectors needed to check the stockpiles. 'We need to return. We need to engage,' he said.
However, Mr Araghchi said Iran had 'no plans to receive' Mr Grossi.
On Wednesday, Iran's parliament passed a new law suspending all co-operation with the IAEA, including removing monitoring cameras from nuclear sites and banning the watchdog's inspectors from entering the country. Providing any reports to the agency is also now illegal.
The legislation passed with 222 votes in favour and none opposed.
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the Iranian parliament's speaker, said the country's nuclear programme would now be pursued with 'greater speed.'
Iran's foreign ministry also claimed that if Europe activated a 'snapback' mechanism to restore UN sanctions, it would be committing a 'historic mistake' that would 'completely eliminate Europe's role' in nuclear talks.
On Thursday, Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said that Moscow wanted Iran to continue co-operating with the IAEA, putting pressure on Tehran to reverse course.
On Friday, the fragile ceasefire appeared to be holding despite both sides blaming each other for violating it.
Across Iran, officials continued to celebrate what they described as a 'victory' over Israel and the US.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has announced that funerals for senior commanders killed in the Israeli attacks will be held on Saturday.
It is unclear if Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader who usually leads prayers for senior officials, will attend.
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