Reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency show Iran has significantly stepped up its production of uranium-enriched to near nuclear weapons-grade levels, as tensions between Tehran and Washington worsen.
Two quarterly reports by the IAEA, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, were sent to its member states and shown to multiple press outlets on Wednesday. The reports claim Iran has increased its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium by over 200 pounds since its last report in November. According to the IAEA, Iran now possesses an estimated 605 pounds of uranium enriched to 60%, while its total stockpile of enriched uranium now stands at 18,286 pounds, up by 3,725 pounds since November.
Uranium enriched to 60% is just one technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90% enriched uranium. The IAEA estimates that roughly 92 pounds of 90% enriched uranium are needed to produce one nuclear bomb.
The report rang alarm bells in the international community — particularly in the United States and Israel. On Feb. 6, Trump issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum that directed US federal agencies to implement a policy of maximum pressure on Iran — a policy Trump adopted in his first term after withdrawing the United States from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Without a deal and despite sanctions, “The Iranian program has been on turbocharge,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told Al-Monitor's Elizabeth Hagedorn in September.
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