Nuclear Weapons: Iran Enriches Uranium

At the end of February, IAEA experts discovered uranium enriched to 83.7%, close to the concentration needed to create nuclear weapons.

Traces of enriched uranium were detected at the Fordow Enrichment Plant in two interconnected cascades or clusters of advanced centrifuges that enrich uranium up to 60%. The IAEA’s report to member states presents ongoing discussions with Iran regarding the origin of the uranium enriched above 60% discovered after the implementation of the new cascade configuration at the Fordow plant.

The report also mentions the increase in stockpiles of uranium enriched up to 60% from 25.2 kg to 87.5 kg in the last three months. The total stockpile of uranium enriched to a concentration of 60% and below in Iran is 3,760.8 kg.

According to the IAEA, 42 kg of uranium enriched up to 60% is a “significant amount”, which is defined as “an approximate amount of nuclear material for which the possibility of making a nuclear explosive device cannot be ruled out”.

According to Reuters