TEHRAN – Ahead the beginning of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors quarterly meeting on Monday, Director General Rafael Grossi issued a statement and held a press conference expressing concerns about nuclear developments in over a dozen countries, while notably omitting Israel, a regime with a known nuclear program that’s been wreaking havoc across West Asia for the past 18 months. 

An important part of Grossi's statement focused sharply on Iran, expressing "serious concerns" over the alleged growth of the country’s enriched uranium stockpile, stating that "Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% U-235 has increased to 275 kg, up from 182 kg in the past quarter.” He further lamented Tehran’s non-compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), again adding that he is “deeply concerned” about the situation. 

A critical piece of the puzzle remained absent from Grossi's pronouncements on Monday, as it has in the past: the context behind Iran's scaling back of JCPOA commitments. 

The 2015 nuclear accord, forged between Iran, the U.S., the UK, France, China, Russia, and Germany, was designed to limit Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the termination of sanctions. This delicate balance was shattered in 2018 when Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the agreement and reimposed crippling sanctions. Tehran continues to struggle with the economic fallout, exacerbated by unprecedented secondary sanctions imposed by Washington. 

As he began his second term this year, Trump once again said that he is not looking to return to the deal, and that he will continue to pursue the infamous “maximum pressure campaign” against Iran. European countries meanwhile, remain unable to take the sting out of U.S. sanctions. 

Despite advocating for the JCPOA's revival, Grossi consistently sidesteps the obligations of the U.S. and its European allies. His focus remains fixed on restricting Iran's nuclear program, even as the benefits promised under the international agreement have been systematically denied.

In his Monday remarks, while Grossi highlighted the perceived threat of Iran's uranium enrichment, he conspicuously avoided addressing a far more immediate and potentially catastrophic danger: Israel's repeated threats to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, a saber-rattling display that has intensified in recent months.

Furthermore, Israel's own vast arsenal of nuclear bombs, and recent, chilling suggestions by its politicians regarding their potential use against Gaza and Lebanon, failed to elicit a similar alarm from Grossi. Instead, the burgeoning nuclear ambitions of Saudi Arabia appeared to command a greater share of the IAEA chief's attention as he asked that Riyadh elaborate more on the nuclear material he is buying from other countries. The deadly weapons possessed by a rogue regime implicated in the deaths of over 60,000 people in the past 1.5 years was not something Grossi wanted to talk about. 

Asked about the nuclear watchdog's latest statement, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baqaei stated that everyone would benefit if Grossi acted professionally and avoided aligning with Western political agendas. “We will closely observe the Agency's forthcoming decisions and respond appropriately. It is unacceptable for the Agency to allow its commentary to be influenced by the political biases of individual countries,” Baqaei said.