Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization chief Mohammad Eslami has declared that the country could pursue uranium enrichment up to 90% purity, the level considered sufficient for producing nuclear weapons. Eslami emphasized that while Iran’s current enrichment programs serve peaceful and civilian purposes, the capability to enrich uranium to such a level exists.
Currently, Iran enriches uranium to 60%, which is already far beyond the 3.67% cap set by the 2015 nuclear deal. This 60% enriched uranium stockpile is reportedly sufficient, if further enriched to 90%, to produce several nuclear warheads. Experts caution that enrichment from 60% to 90% could take weeks, drastically reducing the breakout time for nuclear weapons production.
Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful energy and scientific purposes and denies any intention to develop nuclear arms. Eslami dismissed concerns about high-level enrichment as politically motivated, asserting that higher enrichment is needed for sensitive scientific and industrial uses unrelated to weapons.
However, the announcement is expected to intensify international concern, particularly among the United States, European countries, and Israel, which view Iran’s nuclear advances as a major security threat. US officials have called for a complete dismantling of Iran’s uranium-enrichment infrastructure, while Tehran rejects such demands.
Iran’s nuclear facilities, including Fordow and Natanz, were damaged by airstrikes earlier this year, but the country has pledged to rebuild and continue its uranium enrichment activities. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continues to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities, but verification efforts have been challenged by recent conflicts and lack of cooperation.
This development marks a significant escalation in the protracted standoff over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and could heavily impact diplomatic efforts for reviving or reshaping the 2015 nuclear deal framework and regional security dynamics.
