Iran has 6% more uranium enrichment left to build nuclear weapons

By: Maksim Panasovskiy | 20.02.2023, 15:11

Iran continues to develop its nuclear programme. According to Bloomberg, Iran's uranium enrichment level has reached 84%.

Here's What We Know

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wants to understand how Iran has managed to collect uranium enriched to 84%. This is the highest level ever recorded in the country. In order to build a nuclear weapon, the enrichment level needs to be increased by 6%.

Interestingly, Iran`s representatives, when talking to the IAEA, claimed that their centrifuges were capable of increasing the fraction of isotope 235U in uranium to a maximum of 60%. The agency's experts must now determine whether enriching uranium to 84% was a deliberate act. Experts do not rule out that fuel buildup in the pipes that connect the centrifuges could have been the cause.

Iranian authorities have already commented on the material published by Bloomberg. They claim the publication misrepresents the facts. Behruz Kamalvandi of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said that the process of enriching uranium to 60% may produce particles with a higher fraction of 235U. He added that Iran had not tried to enrich uranium above 60%.

Source: Reuters, Bloomberg