Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Hamas confirms that it has no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah and affirms its commitment to the ceasefire agreement
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two civilians were killed and four others, including a child and an infant, were injured in an Israeli bombing of a house belonging to the Al-Banna family in the al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli airstrike targets the vicinity of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, west of Gaza City
Al-Qassam: We will postpone the handover of the body of the Israeli captive we found, which was scheduled for today, due to the occupation's violations
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: Israeli occupation aircraft launch airstrikes on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip
Netanyahu's office: At the end of the security consultations, the prime minister instructed the military to launch massive military strikes on the Gaza Strip immediately
President Aoun: We urge the activation of the monitoring committee, the cessation of hostilities, ongoing Israeli violations, attacks
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to US Envoy Morgan Ortagus: Southerners must be enabled to return to their homes and rebuild
Syrian sources: The Israeli occupation has begun withdrawing from the areas it infiltrated last night in the Quneitra countryside.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Massive bombings in eastern Gaza, the second within half an hour, and its sound was heard from central area.

Military strikes cannot end Iran's nuclear program: IAEA Chief

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 9 Jul 2025 15:38
3 Min Read

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has declared that military force cannot dismantle Iran's nuclear program, as Tehran reviews a US request for renewed talks following a failed strike campaign and the suspension of nuclear inspections.

Listen
  • x
  • ap
    Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, speaks to journalists attending a weeklong seminar at the agency in Vienna, Austria, on May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has categorically dismissed the notion that Iran's nuclear program can be dismantled through military means, calling such efforts both impractical and doomed to fail.

"Iran is a big country with a sizable economy, and a significant industrial potential and technical capabilities. None of these factors can be canceled by military means," Grossi told Poland's Rzeczpospolita in an interview published Wednesday, adding "The international community would consequently never resolve the nuclear issue through force."

His remarks follow the devastating 12-day war triggered by an Israeli attack on June 13, under the pretext of halting Iran's alleged nuclear weapons development. The United States joined the strikes on June 22, targeting key Iranian nuclear facilities.

In response, Iran, invoking its right to self-defense under international law, launched retaliatory missiles on Israeli and American positions, including a direct hit on the Al Udeid airbase in Qatar. A ceasefire was then immediately declared on June 23.

Controversial IAEA report and fallout

Related News

Tehran dismisses Trump’s rhetoric, demands 'actions not words'

Araghchi to Trump: You can't claim peace while provoking endless wars

Tensions escalated in the lead-up to the strikes following a May 31 IAEA report that claimed Iran was in breach of its safeguards obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Iranian officials blasted the report as politically motivated and accused the agency of paving the way for military aggression by releasing sensitive nuclear data that allegedly ended up in Israeli hands.

Grossi has pushed back against those claims, asserting the agency's neutrality. "The agency emphasized the absence of credible evidence proving Iran already possessed nuclear weapons," he clarified. While the report noted Iran's technical capacity to enrich uranium to high levels, he stressed, "This does not mean such knowledge has been or is being weaponized."

Nonetheless, fallout from the strikes has been severe. On July 4, the IAEA withdrew its last inspectors from Iran after Tehran suspended all cooperation, citing safety concerns and alleged collusion between the agency and Israeli intelligence. Grossi has since been barred from visiting Iranian nuclear sites or installing surveillance cameras, with Iranian lawmakers denouncing the IAEA as "Israel's protector and servant."

Read more: IAEA to be held accountable for pre-strike Iran assessments: Lavrov

Conditional diplomacy on the table

Despite the rupture in oversight, diplomatic backchannels have begun to stir. On July 8, Mehr News reported that Iran is reviewing a US request, relayed via Turkey and other intermediaries, to resume nuclear negotiations.

According to sources close to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, any future talks would need to address reparations for the strikes, full sanctions relief, and formal recognition of Iran's right to enrich uranium domestically.

Moreover, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi underscored that while Iran remains committed to the NPT, it demands guarantees against further acts of aggression. "The doors of diplomacy will never be closed," he said, but stressed that talks must be grounded in mutual respect, justice, and accountability.

Grossi, for his part, reiterated the urgency of restoring the agency's verification capabilities. "The inspection regime cannot afford further disruption," he warned. Yet even as he advocates for renewed cooperation, Grossi's admission that military action "cannot solve the nuclear issue" may complicate Western narratives seeking to justify force over diplomacy.

  • Nuclear Talks
  • IAEA
  • Rafael Grossi
  • Iran

Most Read

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Delta Air Lines flight lands at Harry Reid International Airport, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Las Vegas (AP)
Politics

Nearly 3,800 US flights disrupted amid ongoing government shutdown

FILE - The Amazon logo is pictured at the Amazon Robotic Sorting Fulfillment Center in Madison County, Miss., Aug. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Economy

Amazon to cut 30,000 jobs in largest layoff in company history

Eurofighter Typhoon Spain's Air Force fighter jets fly above the military parade marking 'Día de la Hispanidad', or Hispanic Day, in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP)
Politics

UK sells 20 Eurofighter jets to Türkiye in £8bln defense agreement

Smoke billows after drone strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted the northern port in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, Sudan, May 6, 2025 (AP)
Politics

RSF tighten El Fasher siege as Sudan risks fragmentation: Reuters

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS