ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi warned on Wednesday that Iran is “not far” from being able to build a nuclear bomb.

The chief of the UN’s nuclear watchdog made the comments ahead of a trip to Tehran on Wednesday.

"It's like a puzzle. They have the pieces, and one day they could eventually put them together," Grossi said in an interview, adding, "There's still a way to go before they get there. But they're not far off, that has to be acknowledged."

"It's not enough to tell the international community 'we don't have nuclear weapons' for them to believe you. We need to be able to verify," he affirmed.

Grossi met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during his trip, with the latter commenting that a “useful discussion” had taken place and urging the IAEA to "keep the agency away from politics."

Despite Tehran’s insistence that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful, it has faced strong backlash from the international community for its proliferation efforts, with the administration of US President Donald Trump deploying bellicose rhetoric amid a “maximum pressure” campaign that seeks to influence Iran to abandon its nuclear endeavors.

Indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran regarding the latter’s nuclear program commenced in Oman last week, with a second round set to begin later this week.

The International Atomic Energy Agency served as a guarantor of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement, which saw sanctions on Iran being loosened in exchange for a curbing of its nuclear program.

The United States, during the first Trump administration, unilaterally withdrew from the landmark agreement and reimposed economic sanctions, causing extensive damage to the Iranian economy.