Iran’s Enriched Uranium Stockpile Rises – Near Nuclear Weapons Level

His stocks Iran in enriched to a degree of up to 60% uraniumclose to the degree of enrichment appropriate for the production of atomic weapons, have grown far above the amount which according to one definition is sufficient, if further enriched, for a nuclear bombsays a quarterly report by the UN nuclear watchdog today.

Iran’s uranium enriched up to 60% and in the form of uranium hexafluoride, the gas that centrifuges enrich, is estimated to have increased by 12.5 kilograms to 55.6 kilograms since the International Atomic Energy Agency’s last quarterly report which issued on May 30, said the IAEA report to member states seen by Reuters.

At the same time, as in previous quarters, the IAEA issued a second report saying that Iran has yet to provide credible answers about the origin of uranium particles found at three undeclared sites that appear to be mostly old and that the IAEA has been investigating for years.

“The General Manager is getting more and more worried that Iran has not engaged with the Organization on outstanding safeguards issues during this reporting period and, therefore, there has been no progress towards resolving them,” said the second report, also seen by Reuters.

The matter of particles is a point which creates obstacles to negotiations to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal; with Iran seeking to shut down the investigation while Western powers and the IAEA insist it is a separate issue that Iran is legally obligated to help clear up as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

US intelligence agencies and the IAEA believe Iran has a secret, organized nuclear weapons program that was halted in 2003. Iran insists, however, according to APE-MPE, that it never had such a program. Most of the installations are believed to date back to around 2003 or earlier.

“The Agency is unable to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful,” the second report says, meaning that without credible explanations from Iran about what happened to the uranium it appears to have found at the three facilities, the agency cannot guarantee that uranium has not been diverted to make weapons.

The report also says the IAEA has been unable to monitor the production of new centrifuges used for enrichment for three months after Iranian authorities removed surveillance cameras in June.