Time running out to curb Iran's nuclear advances, UN nuclear watchdog warns

The international community should not waste any more time and should finalize a deal on Iran's nuclear program before it is too late, the director general of the UN's nuclear watchdog said on Friday.

Rafael Grossi said members of the IAEA Board of Governors have requested a comprehensive report on Iran's nuclear program which is likely to be issued later than the board meeting in March.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Grossi said Iran would likely have about 250 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60% by the time of the agency's next report in the coming weeks.

"I think we are running out of time, but it doesn't mean that we can't do it fast."

Grossi warned that "the rapid acceleration of uranium enriched up to 60% purity is a sign that should be taken very seriously."

Last month, the UN nuclear watchdog's chief said that the agency does not have evidence that Tehran is building a nuclear weapon, but Iran is not fully cooperating with the IAEA.

In his interview with reporters on Friday, Grossi said, “the IAEA is there and has all the information and elements, but when it comes to the policy it's up to the countries."

Grossi said he still has not been able to have political consultations with the new US administration on the issue of Iran and is waiting for President Donald Trump to introduce his special envoy for Iran.

Amid global concerns over Tehran's nuclear program, Trump has expressed interest in achieving a deal with the clerical establishment, saying he believes that the Islamic Republic would love to make a deal with the United States.

The alternative to a deal, he said, is airstrikes against the country's nuclear sites.

Israeli officials have repeatedly raised the possibility of military action against Iran’s nuclear program, but Trump has insisted that he hopes a deal over Iran's nuclear program would make it so that the United States did not have to support an Israeli attack on Iran.

'Israel's top priority'

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stressed at the Munich Security Conference on Friday that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains Israel's highest priority.

He warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a threat not only to Israel but also to Europe and the wider Middle East.

While recognizing diplomacy as a possible solution, Saar cautioned against reviving the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) without major revisions. He said that achieving this goal through political means would be beneficial but emphasized that any new agreement must be substantially different.

Iran has denied seeking a nuclear weapon, but Israel has long contended that a bomb in the hands of its arch-enemy poses an existential threat.