WANA (Mar 07) – The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that Western sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program have been ineffective, as the country has found ways to bypass them, leading to significant growth in its nuclear activities.

 

Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, said: “Sanctions don’t work. Iran is clearly circumventing them. Its nuclear program—especially since 2018—has grown massively.”

 

In 2018, Donald Trump, then U.S. president, withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), despite the IAEA’s confirmation that Iran was complying with its commitments under the deal.

 

Bloomberg, referring to the IAEA’s acknowledgment of Iran’s compliance at the time, quoted Grossi as saying: “Since then, Iran’s nuclear program has accelerated.”

 

In late February, the IAEA claimed that Iran had increased its stockpile of enriched uranium at near-weapons-grade levels by 50% in just three months, stating that “converting this material into the fuel needed for a warhead would take only a few days.”

 

However, Bloomberg noted that IAEA inspectors operate daily in Iran and assert that they can detect any possible deviation in uranium use before it is converted into a weapon.

 

Grossi claimed that, after much back-and-forth with the U.S., various factions within Iran are now debating whether the country should seek a nuclear deterrent for its security. However, Iranian leaders have consistently denied any intention to develop nuclear weapons.

 

Bloomberg added: “Iran is not the only country with such concerns… In an increasingly unstable world, more countries are asking whether they, too, need a nuclear deterrent.”

 

Grossi commented: “A few years ago, discussing nuclear weapons was taboo, but now these conversations are happening in some countries, which signals a gradual erosion of global norms.”

 

According to Bloomberg, arms control experts argue that the Trump administration’s preference for threats and economic pressure over multilateralism and diplomacy has increased global insecurity and could push more nations toward nuclear armament. In recent years, officials in Germany, Japan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea have all publicly debated the idea of acquiring a nuclear deterrent.