Iran nuclear material "still there, in large quantities," IAEA chief says, calling for urgent deal with U.S.

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency has warned of "urgency" in the push for a diplomatic agreement to avert a war between the United States and Iran, citing the risk presented by Iran's enriched nuclear material, which he said remained largely intact despite U.S. strikes on three major facilities last year, and the risk of any new strikes sparking a wider conflict.

The U.S. and Iran concluded a round of negotiations on Tuesday in Geneva, with both sides saying progress was made, but a U.S. official telling CBS News there were "still a lot of details to discuss." The official said Iran was expected to come back within a couple weeks with detailed proposals "to address some of the open gaps in our positions."

While that diplomacy continues, President Trump has bolstered the U.S. military presence in the region to back up his threat of new strikes if no agreement is reached to rein in Iran's nuclear program.

In an interview with French network TF1 posted online Wednesday, Rafael Grossi, the director general of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency, referred to the Geneva talks, during which he met with Iranian officials in the Swiss capital, as "two steps forward," but said "further efforts are still needed."

"The problem is, we don't have much time," Grossi said.

"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," Grossi said. "Some of it may be less accessible, but the material is still there. From a non-proliferation standpoint, the material remains. That is why there is so much interest — I would say urgency — in reaching an agreement that would prevent new military action in the region."

Mr. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed after "Operation Midnight Hammer" in June that the American strikes had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program, but questions quickly arose over the extent of the damage inflicted.

An initial classified U.S. assessment found the strikes had set back Tehran's nuclear program by a matter of months, while Mr. Trump said the nuclear program was set back "basically decades."

As Russian warships and aircraft joined Iranian military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman this week, Grossi stressed that it was vital to avoid another military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran, citing a "real risk of spillover and expansion to other countries."

"Everything must be done to avoid that situation," he told the French network.

"This is a key moment in a long history marked by both successes and failures. It is also a pivotal moment in a long-standing deadlock that has, of course, been shaped by conflict — including the '12-day war' in June last year. Now there is a possibility for a dialogue that is truly beginning, for the first time, to take shape," the IAEA chief said. "The fact that I myself was invited by the parties involved is a positive sign, because we are starting to discuss concrete issues — what actually needs to be done."

Mr. Trump has said he will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapons capacity, under any circumstances. 

Asked whether the IAEA had seen any indication that Iran might currently be working to develop such a capacity, Grossi was clear that the agency had not. 

"No," he told TF1, adding: "On the contrary, I see, today, a willingness on both sides to reach an agreement." 

But Grossi's cautious optimism came amid increasingly urgent rhetoric from Washington, as sources told CBS News on Wednesday that while Mr. Trump had not made a final decision, he was at least considering an attack on Iran as soon as this weekend.

"Now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we're doing," Mr. Trump said Thursday at a gathering of his Board of Peace in Washington. "If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. But bad things will happen if it doesn't."

"Maybe we're going to make a deal," Mr. Trump reiterated, adding: "You're going to be finding out over the next, probably 10 days."

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Thursday urged any Polish citizens in Iran to leave the country immediately.

"Do not go ‌to this country ⁠under any ‌circumstances," he said, citing the "very real" possibility of a conflict making evacuations impossible in the near future.