Rafael Grossi, the Argentine who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the United Nations Security Council on Sunday that"no one, not even the IAEA, is able to confirm the underground damage" at the Fordow site, the main plant where Iran produces enriched uranium that was attacked early Sunday morning by the United States.
In an emergency session of the Security Council requested by Iran following the US attacks on three nuclear plants, Grossi stressed that"armed attacks against nuclear sites should never happen (because) they can lead to radioactive leaks with serious consequences."
According to the Pentagon, B-2 strategic bombers carrying heavy bunker-busting bombs targeted the underground fortress of Fordow, Iran's main uranium enrichment plant, in an attack that was completed with the launch of up to 30 Tomahawk missiles from submarines against Natanz and Isfahan.
In addition to updating information on the latest bombings on Iranian territory—which occurred during the military operation the United States dubbed"Midnight Hammer"—the official also warned about the consequences it could unleash in the immediate future.
"We have a window of opportunity to return to dialogue and diplomacy. If that window closes, violence and destruction could reach unthinkable levels, and the nuclear non-proliferation regime as we know it could crumble and collapse," he said during a videoconference address to the Council.
Grossi said that"cracks" are now visible at the Fordow plant, confirming the use of the bunker-busting bombs reported by the US, but he insisted that it is impossible to assess the damage caused at that plant.
The IAEA Director General also reaffirmed that at the Isfahan plant,"access points to the tunnels used for the storage of enriched material appear to have been hit," as well as some related buildings. At the Natanz plant, the enrichment plant was also attacked, but he did not provide further details.
A day after being publicly threatened by the senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Larijani - who posted on social media without giving further details that Iran would make Grossi"pay" once the war with Israel is over - the Argentine stressed that Iran informed his agency that "there is no increase in external radiation" at any of the three plants.
Grossi also reiterated his willingness to travel immediately to Iran and begin negotiations with all parties to ensure the protection and security of nuclear plants and the peaceful use of nuclear technology.
