Iran war takes rising toll across Mideast; Kuwait downs 3 U.S. jets in “friendly fire incident”

The head of the United Nations’s nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA, said Monday that his agency had “no indication” that any of Iran’s nuclear installations had been damaged by the ongoing Israeli-U.S. strikes on the country.

IAEA director general Rafael Grossi warned, however, that with missiles still flying a “possible radiological release with serious consequences” could not be ruled out, calling the situation in the Middle East “very concerning” and urging the “utmost restraint” by all parties. 

“I reiterate my call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation,” Grossi said in his statement, released by the IAEA, as he opened the closed-door session.

“Iran and many other countries in the region that have been subjected to military attacks have operational nuclear power plants and nuclear research reactors, as well as associated fuel storage sites, increasing the threat to nuclear safety,” he said. “Let me underline that the situation today is very concerning. We cannot rule out a possible radiological release with serious consequences, including the necessity to evacuate areas as large or larger than major cities.” 

He said the IAEA was trying to contact the Iranian nuclear regulatory authorities, “with no response so far.”

The IAEA reported just days ago that, despite U.S. strikes in June that President Trump said “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, the country still has a stockpile of around 972 pounds of uranium enriched to 60% purity — a short technical step away from the level required for nuclear weapons. 

Grossi said on Feb. 19 that “most of the material that Iran had accumulated up until June of last year, despite the [U.S.] bombings and the attacks, is still there, in large quantities, where it was at the time of the strikes. … Some of it may be less accessible, but the material is still there.”

He called Monday for diplomatic negotiations to resume “as quickly as possible.”

CBS/AFP