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Grossi's Statements: "Are Not, and They Were Not"

Evidence rating: CONFIRMED for statements from IAEA documents, CNN video and the White House's own quotation; STRONG for later statements relayed by news posts.

Rafael Grossi, the IAEA's Director General, was quoted by every side of this war. The White House quoted him to prove the strikes worked. Iran quoted him to prove it never sought a bomb. This page lists what he said, in order, so a reader can see his own position.

Before and during the war​

DateStatement
June 9, 2025Said information obtained by Iran "seems to refer" to an Israeli nuclear research site (reported headline, per the research captures)
June 13"I have repeatedly stated that nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as it could harm both people and the environment" (IAEA statement, as reprinted)
June 13, to the UN Security CouncilAt Natanz "the above-ground part of the fuel enrichment facility... was destroyed," with "no signs of physical damage to the underground cascade hall" yet (Mezha)
June 16"We have not observed any damage to the uranium enrichment facility at Fordow or the heavy water facility at Khandab" (@warintel4u)
June 17, to CNN"We did not have any proof of a systematic effort to move into a nuclear weapon" (Christiane Amanpour on X; Arms Control Association)
June 23, to the IAEA Board"Given the explosive payload utilized, and the extreme vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred" (IAEA)
About June 29"Inspectors have remained in Iran throughout the conflict"; "nuclear facilities should never be attacked due to the very real risk of a serious radiological accident" (letter, as quoted in the research captures). Headline the same week: Iran could resume enrichment "in a matter of months" (SkylineReport headline list)

The June 17 answer is the one to remember. On day five of Israel's war, the UN's chief nuclear inspector said on American television that he had no proof Iran was trying to build a weapon. Five days later, America bombed Iran to stop it building one.

After the war​

  • March 2, 2026: "we don't see a structured programme to manufacture nuclear weapons" (as quoted in the research captures). He also said reconstruction was "not impossible" because "this is work that Iran knows how to do."
  • March 4, 2026: the IAEA reported no damage to facilities containing nuclear material from the new round of strikes (per the research captures).
  • August 24, 2026, at UN headquarters: the Iranians "are not, and they were not" attempting to develop nuclear weapons. "I want to be very clear on this... We are often misquoted about this and people say that we have said things we never said" (as quoted by Iran's embassy in Japan, September 13, 2026). The quote comes via an Iranian government account; it matches his earlier public statements.
  • September 2026: the agency had lost "continuity of knowledge" for more than a year over the pre-war inventories, "a serious proliferation concern" (Iran International).

How his words were used​

The White House's June 25 release quoted Grossi's "very significant damage is expected" as proof that the strikes worked. It did not quote his June 17 answer. See The White House Release. Grossi's complaint that the agency is "often misquoted" is the key to reading everything else on this page.

Status: Rafael Grossi is alive, as far as these sources show.

Sources​

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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