Iran still has nuclear capacity - UN official

The UN nuclear watchdog chief has said Iran could produce enriched uranium "in a matter of months", in an interview in which he also contradicted Donald Trump's assertion that US strikes had "completely and totally obliterated" Tehran's nuclear facilities.

- Patrick Wintour Ashifa Kassam

Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the US broadcaster CBS News that the strikes on three Iranian sites had clearly caused severe damage but "not total" damage.

He said: "Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there.

"They [Iran] 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... Iran has the capacities there: industrial and technological capacities."

His view was echoed in a preliminary US intelligence assessment that found that the bombings set back Iran's nuclear programme by just a matter of months. Speaking to Reuters, one source estimated that the programme could be restarted in one to two months.

Israel launched a widespread attack on Iran on 13 June, targeting the country's nuclear facilities, as well as military commanders and scientists, among others. Israel said its actions were aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons - an ambition Tehran has consistently denied. The US subsequently joined the attack, bombing three key facilities.

Questions have been asked about the extent of the damage done to Iran's nuclear programme and whether it had been able to relocate some or all of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, estimated to be about 408kg, before the attacks.