by Over the last three months, Iran has amassed more highly enriched uranium than they had over the years prior and this is a serious matter, according to confidential reports shared by the U.N.’s nuclear agency.
U.S. News received the reports which were created by the International Atomic Energy Agency for a June 9 meeting of its governing body. Board members have requested one of these reports which assesses whether Iran is keeping its obligations in regard to international instruments over its nuclear stockpile. The document contains info that Iran succeeded in making 600 pounds of uranium enriched to 60%, called highly enriched uranium in February this year. In May, it had reached a production of 900 pounds.
While the uranium in this case is not good for weapons, enhancing it slightly could take it close to the 90% needed for one. According to the Associated Press, 92 pounds of 60% enriched uranium could be enough to build one atomic bomb if it is enriched to 90%, so Iran could soon have sufficient uranium for 10 nuclear weapons.
“The significantly increased production and accumulation of highly enriched uranium by Iran, the only non-nuclear-weapon State to produce such nuclear material, is of serious concern,” the IAEA said in its main report.
Although President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal it had with Iran in 2018, IAEA inspectors have been able to visit Iran’s nuclear facilities and are continuing to monitor them, but Iran did not respond to many of the agency’s questions about Iran’s earlier nuclear activities.
Donald Trump
As a current member of IAEA non-proliferation programs, Iran must submit a second IAEA report on its safeguards agreement, also still kept confidential. But it is also pointed out that Iran does not meet its responsibilities to the IAEA by revealing the status of its nuclear program. The report requested that Iran go back to following its original plan for reporting.
“So we hope that by providing this clarification, we will be providing an incentive for clarity for a peaceful solution and a diplomatic solution of this issue,” Grossi said.
According to a later statement by both of these agencies, Iran rejected the report, saying it was created for political reasons.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran expresses deep regret about the director general’s lack of impartiality and his disregard for professional conduct under political pressures in the preparation and publication of the report,” the statement read.
As both the U.S. and Iran have just finished a round of talks trying to curb Iran’s nuclear program without an agreement, the disclosure takes place.
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Saturday, Iran’s first proposal was presented with major points, not a draft agreement, stating that Tehran must stop any uranium enrichment task and allow a group to enrich and deliver uranium (once completed) to its nuclear power stations. The White House press secretary reported that Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, transmitted the proposal to the Iranian government.
Iran’s foreign minister put out a statement last week on social media:
“Figuring out the path to a deal is not rocket science: Zero nuclear weapons = we DO have a deal. Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal. Time to decide…”
Matt Waxman, who is a professor at Columbia University Law School and an official from the administration of former President George W. Bush, states that U.S. action is important in the future.
“If there are Iranian breaches, it can’t just be the IAEA’s problem or the U.N. Security Council’s problem. It also needs to be the United States’ problem,” Waxman says.
