UN Nuclear Watchdog Chief Says Monitoring In Iran No Longer 'Intact'

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in an interview with NBC News that monitoring of Iran's nuclear program by the UN watchdog is no longer "intact." 

Grossi told the US news network that the world may never be "able to reconstruct the picture" of the regime's nuclear activity after Tehran refused to replace cameras at the TESA Karaj complex hit by apparent sabotage in June that Iran has blamed on Israel.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog also said that he hasn't spoken to Iran's new foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who assumed the post in August under Iran's newly elected hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi.

During the interview, which took place on an official visit to Washington, Grossi said that he had established a direct line of communication with Iran's previous top diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif.

“I have never spoken to the new foreign minister,” Grossi said. “I hope to be able to have the opportunity to meet with him soon because it’s very important."

Grossi said that there was "no indication" that Iran was racing toward obtaining a nuclear bomb, but that the situation in North Korea demonstrates what's at stake. Nuclear inspectors were kicked out of North Korea in 2009 and the country is now suspected to be home to dozens of nuclear warheads.

“The case of the DPRK should remind us of what may happen if diplomatic efforts go wrong,” Grossi said. “It’s a clear example, it’s an indication, it’s a beacon. If diplomacy fails, you may be confronted with a situation that would have enormous political impact in the Middle East and beyond.”