“This is the number 1 priority,” Grossi told a news conference at an Austrian security cabinet meeting.
He is seeking his inspectors’ return to Iranian sites including the three plants where it was enriching uranium until Israel launched strikes on June 13.
Asked if Iran had informed him of the status of its stocks of enriched uranium, particularly its uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, he pointed to a letter he received from Iran on June 13, saying Iran would take “special measures” to protect its nuclear materials and equipment.
“They did not get into details as to what that meant but clearly that was the implicit meaning of that. We can imagine this material is there,” Grossi added, suggesting much of that material had survived the attacks.
There is a chance that much of Iran’s highly enriched uranium survived Israeli and US attacks because it may have been moved by Tehran soon after the first strikes, Grossi said.
He stated earlier this week that Iran had informed the IAEA on June 13 – the first day of Israeli raids – that it would take “special measures” to protect its nuclear materials and equipment.
“They did not get into details as to what that meant but clearly that was the implicit meaning of that, so we can imagine that this material is there,” Grossi stated Wednesday.
“So for that, to confirm, for the whole situation, evaluation, we need to return (IAEA inspectors to Iran’s nuclear facilities),” he added.