Iran has enough uranium for a bomb, IAEA report shows

Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60%, which is close to weapons grade, has grown enough, if enriched further, for a nuclear bomb, a report from the United Nations’ nuclear regulator showed on Wednesday. -fair.

Going beyond that threshold marks a milestone in the rollout of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, which capped the purity allowed Iran to enrich uranium to 3.67%, well below the 20% achieved before the deal and about 90% that is the weapons grade.

Washington’s withdrawal from the deal under then-President Donald Trump and its re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran that had been lifted in the treaty prompted Tehran to violate the deal’s nuclear restrictions.

“Iran can now produce 25 kg (of uranium) at 90% if it wants to,” a senior diplomat said in response to Wednesday’s report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seen by Reuters when asked whether Iran had material enriched to 60% enough for a bomb.

The report said Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% and in the form of uranium hexafluoride, the gas that centrifuges enrich, is estimated at 55.6 kg, an increase of 12.5 kg from the previous quarterly report.

It would take Iran about three to four weeks to produce enough material for a bomb if it wanted to, the diplomat said, adding that it would take the IAEA two to three days to detect movement in that direction. Iran denies the intention.

Indirect talks between Iran and the United States have made little progress towards resuming the deal, which would lead to the many advanced centrifuges that Iran is now using being shut down, as the deal only allows uranium enrichment with IR-1 centrifuges of first generation.

Reactivating the deal would also reduce its multi-level enriched uranium stockpile, currently around four tonnes, back to the agreed limit of 202.8 kg.