Strikes may set Iran back but likely won’t end nuclear program, UN watchdog chief warns

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog chief says Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles remain largely in place and its nuclear infrastructure — much of it buried deep underground — cannot be fully eliminated by airstrikes, underscoring the limits of military action.

The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog suggested to reporters Wednesday that Iran’s nuclear program is unlikely to be eliminated through military force, warning that ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes cannot fully dismantle Tehran’s capabilities.

Asked directly whether the program could be resolved militarily, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said he did not believe it could.

NEXT MOVE ON IRAN: SEIZE KHARG ISLAND, SECURE URANIUM OR RISK GROUND WAR ESCALATION

“This program is a very vast program,” Grossi said, describing a network of buildings, expertise and infrastructure built over decades. “At the end of this … the material will still be there, the enrichment capacities will be there.

“We will have to go back to some form of negotiation.” 

Grossi emphasized he does not offer military advice, framing his comments as a technical assessment of the program’s scope.

The nuclear inspector said the agency’s assessment is that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile remains largely where it was prior to the strikes, with most of the material believed to be at the Isfahan nuclear complex and smaller amounts at Natanz.

“Our assumption is that the material is … where it was,” he said. 

That reality underscores a broader challenge. Much of Iran’s most sensitive nuclear infrastructure — including storage sites for enriched uranium — is buried deep underground, making it difficult to destroy through airstrikes alone.

While U.S. and Israeli strikes have degraded parts of Iran’s nuclear program, including above-ground facilities and support infrastructure, they have not eliminated the core components of the program.

That assessment aligns with previous reporting on the limits of military action against Iran’s nuclear program. Analysts say highly enriched uranium stored at sites like Isfahan is believed to be kept deep underground in relatively mobile containers, making it difficult to destroy or secure without direct access to the facilities.

UN NUCLEAR CHIEF WARNS STRIKE NEAR IRAN REACTOR RISKS CROSSING ‘REDDEST LINE’

“It’s not even clear the United States knows where all of the uranium is,” Kelsey Davenport, director of nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, previously told Fox News Digital, noting that the mobility of storage containers raises the possibility that some material could be moved or dispersed.

Iran possessed roughly 441 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% as of mid-2025, enough, if further enriched, to fuel multiple nuclear weapons, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

Experts estimate the final step to weapons-grade enrichment could take weeks under ideal conditions, though building a deliverable weapon would require additional time for weaponization and delivery systems.

Grossi also pointed to continued uncertainty surrounding a newly disclosed enrichment facility near Isfahan.

The site is believed to be a newly declared underground enrichment facility where Iran could potentially install centrifuges to produce enriched uranium. Grossi said the International Atomic Energy Agency has not yet inspected the location and does not know whether it is operational, under construction or equipped with nuclear material.

“We know where it is … but we have not been able to go,” he said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Grossi said the agency has not been able to access some sites during the conflict and is relying in part on imagery to assess conditions.

The gaps in access highlight the limits of current monitoring. Grossi acknowledged the agency lacks full visibility into some parts of Iran’s program, particularly sites it has not been able to inspect.

Former Assad-era prison chief convicted of torture in US federal court, marking a historic first

A former Syrian prison official was convicted by a U.S. federal jury in Los Angeles Monday on torture and immigration fraud charges after prosecutors said he oversaw and at times personally carried out brutal abuses against detainees under the now-ousted regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Samir Ousman Alsheikh, a former brigadier general who once headed Damascus Central Prison, also known as Adra Prison, was found guilty after a nine-day trial of conspiracy to commit torture, immigration-related fraud offenses and three counts of torture, according to the Justice Department.

The case marks a historic step toward accountability, with Alsheikh becoming the first Assad-era official to be tried and convicted in a U.S. federal court.

Prosecutors said the 73-year-old ordered and oversaw the torture of political prisoners between 2005 and 2008, including beatings, suspension from ceilings and the use of devices such as the so-called “Magic Carpet,” which folded victims’ bodies to inflict extreme pain.

TEXAS FAMILY SUES SYRIA FOR DEATH OF LOVED ONE: ‘PLAN TO HOLD THE REGIME FULLY ACCOUNTABLE FOR ITS CRIMES’

He entered the United States in 2020 after lying about his past on his visa application and later attempted to become a U.S. citizen, authorities said.

Alsheikh, who was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in 2024 as he attempted to board a one-way flight to Beirut, faces up to 20 years in prison for each torture-related count when he is sentenced at a later date.

“Samir Ousman Alsheikh ordered, directed, and directly participated in heinous acts of torture designed to inflict excruciating mental and physical pain with the goal of punishing and silencing political dissent,” said Tysen Duva, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s criminal division in a statement.

“For many years, he evaded responsibility for his crimes in Syria, including by lying to U.S. immigration authorities in order to reside in the U.S. with the hope of obtaining citizenship. Thanks to the courage and perseverance of the victims and the dedication of Department of Justice prosecutors, along with their law enforcement partners, justice has prevailed, and Alsheikh can no longer run from his past.”

‘HIGH STAKES DIPLOMACY’: NEW BOOK GIVES AN INSIDE LOOK AT EFFORTS TO BRING HOME AN AMERICAN DETAINED IN SYRIA

According to a federal criminal complaint filed in July 2024, Alsheikh was an associate of Maher al-Assad, the younger brother of Bashar al-Assad, who led the Syrian military’s elite Fourth Division.

He was appointed by Assad in 2011 as governor of Deir ez-Zor after anti-government protests that spread across the country during the Arab Spring.

The Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), a Washington-based advocacy group, assisted investigators in bringing the former regime official to justice. The organization first identified Alsheikh in Los Angeles through a tip and conducted its own verification using open-source material and leaked Syrian government data.

It then alerted U.S. authorities and worked with the FBI and Justice Department to help build the case, including connecting investigators with key witnesses who testified about abuses at Adra Prison. According to SETF, it pushed for torture charges rather than solely immigration violations to ensure broader accountability.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO…SYRIA’S CIVIL WAR?

Mamoun al-Homsi, a former independent member of the Syrian Parliament, was arrested in 2001 for demanding democratic reforms and spent five years in Adra Prison. He told Fox News Digital in an interview, through a translator, that Alsheikh stood out from other prison directors for his brutality.

Al-Homsi said that while previous prison heads largely adhered to prison rules and did not target detainees for their political views, Alsheikh’s arrival in 2005 marked a shift. 

“The toughest torture for me wasn’t anything done to me physically as much as it was what was done to others on my behalf,” said al-Homsi.

SETF Executive Director Mouaz Moustafa, who attended the trial, told Fox News Digital that testimony revealed Alsheikh ordered another prisoner, Khaled Abdul Malek, to poison al-Homsi.

“Khaled Abdul Malek had come so close to Mamoun al-Homsi, so he told him about this plan and told him don’t eat anything from anyone to the point where Mamoun al-Homsi would go to the trash if there was any and wash whatever is left,” Moustafa said.

Malek refused Alsheikh’s demand to poison the prominent political figure, leading to him being placed in Wing 13, a notorious part of the prison where people were tortured.

“Khaled Malik then had his back broken,” Moustafa said, adding that he arrived in court with a cane and could barely walk.

Al-Homsi said he survived on olive pits and lost more than 60 pounds. He was released in 2006 and later fled to Canada.

WHY SYRIA PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN TRUMP’S PLANS FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The former parliament member told Fox News Digital the verdict sends a message that former regime officials cannot evade accountability, even if they leave Syria and attempt to rebuild their lives abroad.

Al-Homsi called the verdict a signal that justice, though long delayed, is finally taking hold, an outcome he described as essential for the future of a free Syria.