(NewsNation) — The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said the United States did not completely destroy Iran’s nuclear program, and that Tehran could likely begin enriching uranium in “months,” rather than decades, as the White House has said.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made the comments during a recorded interview with CBS on Friday.
“They can have, you know, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that,” Grossi said.
It’s a timeline that sharply contrasts with that of the Trump administration, which maintains it “obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear ambitions when the U.S. attacked three nuclear sites in “Operation Midnight Hammer.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi last Thursday said the strikes dealt “serious damage,” and the Israel Atomic Energy Commission said Iran’s capabilities were set back “many years.”
More force against Iran ‘on the table’: Ex-Central Command official
Robert Harward, retired Navy SEAL and former deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command, told NewsNation he believes more force against Iran is “on the table, without a doubt.”
“That’s what’s unprecedented. Someone was willing to use force,” Harward said on Monday’s airing of “NewsNation Live.” “And that’s that’s illustrated to the world, and, more importantly, the Iranian people, that this regime is weak and they’re vulnerable.”
Congress divided after Iran intelligence briefings
But U.S. lawmakers remained divided about the White House’s word choice following classified briefings on the attacks.
“Their operational capability was obliterated. There is nobody working there tonight. It was highly effective. There’s no reason to hit those sites anytime soon,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., following the Senate’s Thursday briefing.
Democrats were skeptical and criticized Trump for not providing Congress with more information. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the briefing “raised more questions than it answered.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said the strike appears to “have only set back the Iranian nuclear program by a handful of months.”
NewsNation’s Anna Kutz contributed to this report.
