Iran ‘one month' from enriching uranium for nuclear bomb
The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog has warned that Iran is able to start enriching uranium for a possible bomb 'in a matter of months'.
Despite the US targeting the three most significant nuclear sites in Iran last week with bunker-busting bombs, Rafael Grossi from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said its damage was 'not total'.
His latest claims contradict US President Donald Trump who said the operation had 'totally obliterated' the nuclear sites, Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
Mr Grossi said: 'Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there.'
Speaking to CBS News, he said that Tehran could have 'in a matter of months... a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium', warning Iran still possessed the 'industrial and technological capacities... so if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again'.
On Thursday, Mr Grossi had also said Isfahan was home to a new enrichment plant, which would soon be opened by Iran. Just before Israel's surprise attacks on June 13, Iran had announced it had built a new facility which would soon be equipped and brought online, but did not state its location.
The extent of damages imposed by the strikes has caused huge debate. The Pentagon's intelligence assessment claimed they had imposed limited damage, only setting Tehran's nuclear programme back by a few months.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
31 minutes ago
- The Sun
Top Iranian cleric issues fatwa against Trump & Netanyahu marking them for death & branding them ‘enemies of God'
A TOP Iranian cleric has issued a fatwa against President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - calling for their deaths. In the Islamic religious decree, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi branded both leaders as "enemies of God". 11 11 11 11 The Shiite cleric issued the fatwa after the 12-Day war between Israel and Iran, which was also briefly joined by the US following American military strikes against Tehran. It effectively states that Trump and Netanyahu "waged war against [Allah] and must be made to regret their words and actions. "Those who threaten the leadership and integrity of the Islamic Ummah are to be considered [mohareb]," it added. Under the Iranian under Iranian penal code, mohareb - someone who wages war against god - must be punished by "execution or crucifixion' or face 'amputation of the right hand and left foot or exile". The fatwa also forbids any Muslim to cooperate with or support the two leaders - and says that any jihadist who is killed while attacking them will receive a reward from Allah, the New York Sun reports. It reads: "It is necessary for all Muslims around the world to make these enemies regret their words and mistakes. "[A] Muslim who abides by his Muslim duty and suffers hardship or loss in their campaign, they will be rewarded as a fighter in the way of God, God willing." Critics of the Mullahs' regime have condemned the fatwa, calling it a state-endorsed incitement to global terrorism. Popular British-Iranian commentator Niyak Ghorbani said: "The West must realise: the Islamic Republic is not only targeting its own people — it is preparing for global violence in the name of religion." The fatwa comes just days after Trump said he saved Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from an "ugly death". Iran's Ayatollah breaks silence after WEEKS cowering in bunker during Israel's blitz and 'obliterating' Trump strikes During the 12-Day War, the Israelis, on multiple occasions, suggested that targeting Ayatollah Khamenei was "not off the table". But Trump, who said he knew exactly where the supreme leader had been hiding, did not let the US forces or the IDF" assassinate Khamenei. In a Truth Social post, Trump raged: "I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH. "And he does not have to say, 'THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!' "I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life." Trump also blasted the Ayatollah's claims that Iran won the war. He said: "Why would the so-called 'Supreme Leader,' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war-torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie, it is not so. "As a man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie." Iran's top mullah Khamenei, 86, claimed victory over Israel and America despite his country being hammered for almost two weeks. He ludicrously claimed Iran had almost crushed Israel, and the government in Tel Aviv was on the verge of collapse. What is a fatwa? By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter A fatwa is a formal ruling or interpretation on a point of Islamic law by a Marja - a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric. It calls on all Muslims, including the Islamic governments and individuals, to ensure its enforcement. In countries where Islamic law is the basis of the legal system, a fatwa can be binding. A fatwa issued by Iran's first supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini led to the massacre of 30,000 prisoners including some as young as 13 in a shocking two-month purge. The 1988 executions were revealed in the memoirs of Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, one of Ayatollah Khomeini's closest advisors who went on to condemn his murderous act. In it, he accused prisoners of "waging war against God" and urged Death Commissioners in charge of the mass killings to "show no mercy". A similar Fatwa was issued against novelist Salman Rushdie in 1989 after his controversial book based on the Islamic religion was released. A knifeman thought to be sympathetic to the Iranian regime tried to carry out the Fatwa after stabbing the writer on stage in New York. 11 11 That's despite the IDF controlling the skies over Tehran, assassinating dozens of top generals and nuclear scientists, and destroying dozens of valuable missile batteries in just 12 days of fighting. Khamenei also said that Iran had given the US a "severe slap" to its face and that it had "gained nothing" from the attack on Iran's nuke plants. The Ayatollah said: 'The American regime entered a direct war because it felt that if it did not, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. "However, it gained no achievements from this war. 'Here, too, the Islamic Republic emerged victorious, and in return, the Islamic Republic delivered a severe slap to America's face.' Trump floated the idea of a regime change in Tehran to "Make Iran Great Again" after bombing the Islamic Republic. Less than a day after the US military blitzed three key facilities central to the Iranian regime's nuclear ambitions, Trump hinted that the Mullahs' regime could well be toppled. The president wrote in a post on Truth Social: "It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!" Trump's post came despite his MAGA administration repeatedly saying the US is not looking for a regime change in Iran. The 12-Day War began On June 13 when Israel launched Operation Rising Lion - a sophisticated campaign of bombing which targeted Iran's military nuclear sites. The Israelis also brilliantly orchestrated Operation Red Wedding - 30 top Iranian military chiefs killed in near-simultaneous blitz as Israel sought to root out the country's military strength entirely. Iran retaliated by launching daily salvos of ballistic missiles across Israel, but failed to hit any strategic targets. Less than a fortnight later, Trump joined the Israeli bombing campaign against Iran. The US military's flagship B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropped more than a dozen 30,000lb GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). 11 11 11 The bunker-buster bombs were used to hit Iran's Fordow Nuclear Enrichment Plant. Iran, which vowed to hit US military bases across the Middle East, sought its revenge by launching missiles at Al-Udeid Air Base - America's biggest military station in the region. But Tehran was said to have cooked up a fake attack after passing warnings to its Qatari allies, which allowed all US service personnel and aircraft to be moved out of harm's way. Trump dubbed the expected response "weak" before announcing that a ceasefire deal had been reached between the Israelis and Iranians. But even with a ceasefire being agreed upon, Trump made it clear he would "absolutely" consider bombing Iran again if it was ever needed. He told reporters in the White House he would "without question" attack the country if US intelligence pointed towards Iran enriching uranium to concerning levels. It comes as Iran held a funeral for the commanders wiped out in the war. The event was severely plagued by "Death to America" chants and the burning of Israeli flags throughout the day.
BBC News
38 minutes ago
- BBC News
Canada drops digital services tax to help restart US trade talks
Canada has scrapped a tax on big US technology firms, just hours before it was due to come into force, to allow trade talks between the two countries to Friday, US President Donald Trump called off negotiations over a trade deal, describing the tax as a "blatant attack", and threatened higher tariffs on imports from response, Canada has said it is removing the tax, which should have come into effect on digital services tax (DST) would have meant US tech giants including Amazon, Meta, Google and Apple, facing a 3% charge on Canadian revenue above $20m. Canada's finance minister François-Philippe Champagne issued a statement saying the tax would be rescinded."The DST was announced in 2020 to address the fact that many large technology companies operating in Canada may not otherwise pay tax on revenues generated from Canadians," it said."Canada's preference has always been a multilateral agreement related to digital services taxation," the statement countries, including the UK, are changing how they tax large multinational technology firms, which have millions of customers and advertisers around the world, but high corporation tax bills due to the way their businesses are was estimated that Canada's tax would cost the tech giants more than $2bn a year in who has forged a close relationship with tech company owners in his second term in office, has pushed back against such described Canada's policy as "egregious" adding "economically we have such power over Canada".Three quarters of Canada's goods exports go to the US, worth more than $400bn a year, while Canada takes just 17% of US climbdown comes after a rollercoaster few months for US-Canada after taking office Trump threatened to impose sweeping new tariffs and even to annex the US's northern neighbour. The antagonism helped propel Canada's Liberal Party, led by former central banker, Mark Carney, back into power. Since then there appeared to be a rapprochement, with Canada and the US saying they aimed to agree new trade terms by 21 July.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
British IDF soldier dies in Gaza combat
A British - Israeli soldier, Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld, 20, was killed in combat in northern Gaza. Sergeant Rosenfeld, from Ra'anana, was a member of the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion and reportedly died from an explosive device on Sunday. The UK Foreign Office is investigating reports of his British nationality, as he had moved to Israel from London 11 years ago. The conflict in Gaza, ongoing since October 7, 2023, has resulted in over 860 Israeli soldier deaths and more than 56,000 fatalities in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Donald Trump urged progress in ceasefire talks, while Israeli officials are planning visits to Washington for negotiations, and Israel issued a new evacuation order for northern Gaza.
