LONDON: Temporary measures to monitor Iran鈥檚 nuclear activities are no longer 鈥渋ntact,鈥� the head of the UN鈥檚 nuclear watchdog has warned.

Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the Financial Times that he urgently needs to meet with Iran鈥檚 new foreign minister to discuss proposals to resume monitoring.

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 been able to talk to (Hossein Amirabdollahian),鈥� Grossi said. 鈥淚 need to have this contact at the political level. This is indispensable. Without it, we cannot understand each other.鈥�

Up until recently, temporary cameras and other monitoring devices had sustained an uneasy status quo following the breakdown of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action 鈥� widely known as the Iran deal 鈥� which curbed the country鈥檚 nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

The Biden administration had hoped to renegotiate the deal with Iran, but six rounds of indirect talks have stalled since Ebrahim Raisi was elected president in June.

The US State Department said it hopes Iran will return to the ongoing talks in Vienna 鈥渁s soon as possible,鈥� but President Joe Biden had 鈥渕ade clear that if diplomacy fails we are prepared to turn to other options.鈥�

Iran has steadily revitalized its nuclear research and facilities in recent years, including by increasing the levels of enriched uranium it is producing, bringing it ever-closer to the highly enriched level required for nuclear weaponry. Grossi said Iran is 鈥渨ithin a few months鈥� of having enough material for a nuclear weapon.

The so-called breakout time 鈥� how long it would take Iran to field a nuclear weapon 鈥� is 鈥渃ontinuously lessening鈥� as it enriches more uranium with more efficient centrifuges, Grossi said. 

He added that he needed working cameras in Iran鈥檚 recently reinstated Tesa Karaj manufacturing complex 鈥� which builds centrifuges 鈥� 鈥測esterday.鈥�

A last-minute compromise in February this year kept cameras rolling at key sites, albeit with an agreement to temporarily forgo examination of footage. 

Last month, Grossi protested Iran鈥檚 refusal to allow surveillance at Tesa Karaj, which he views as a 鈥渧ery important鈥� facility because of its role in manufacturing centrifuges.

鈥淭here is this issue with Karaj, and I鈥檓 working on it,鈥� he said.鈥夆€漁ur stop-gap has been seriously affected so it鈥檚 not intact. But it鈥檚 not valueless either.鈥�

Grossi said Tehran had told him he could meet Amirabdollahian 鈥渂ut they are taking their time.鈥�