The UN’s nuclear watchdog reported Tuesday that Iran has stocked up enough enriched uranium to build an atomic bomb.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the Islamic Republic has built a stockpile of 95 pounds worth of uranium enriched to 60%, up from just 22 pounds three months ago. If enriched further to 90%, that uranium would be enough to build a nuclear bomb, according to NBC News, which obtained the report.
“A person close to the IAEA said Iran’s stockpile of 60% is now above the so-called significant quantity that defines how much…needed for a nuclear weapon. Experts say it would take Iran just a couple of weeks to convert [it] into 90% weapons-grade fuel” https://t.co/E8OX9APgmw
— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) May 31, 2022
The report said that Iran would not face technical challenges if it wished to enrich the uranium further to reach the 90% threshold, according to the outlet. The agency also reported that Iran had not disclosed the location of some nuclear materials despite having ample opportunity to do so.
Iran’s current uranium stockpile is 18 times bigger than what was allowed under the JCPOA agreement reached by the Obama administration and its partners with Iran, the IAEA found. President Joe Biden’s administration has run into roadblocks trying to revive the deal following the decision of former President Donald Trump to withdraw from it. (RELATED: China Buddies Up To Major American Foe With New Military Agreement)
Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh responded to the IAEA report Tuesday, calling it unfair and unbalanced: “The agency should be aware of the destructive consequences of publishing such one-sided reports,” he said.