Iran nuclear
A report by the Atomic Energy Agency: Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium exceeds 18 times the permissible ceiling
The Pentagon confirmed on Tuesday evening that Iran has made “remarkable progress” in its nuclear program since the United States left the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018.
“Iran needed 12 months to produce a nuclear bomb in 2018… now it needs 12 days,” said Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Affairs Dr. Colin Kahl, the number three in the Pentagon.
“Iran’s nuclear progress since we exited the JCPOA has been remarkable,” Kahl said. “Going back to 2018, when the previous administration decided to withdraw from the nuclear deal, it would have taken Iran about two months to produce one nuclear bomb from fissile material. Now it would take It’s about 12 days.”
Kahl considered that Russia will not pressure Iran to reach a new nuclear agreement because of the two countries’ relationship, which has become closer since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
He continued: Cal: “I think that during the (former US President Barack) Obama administration, the Russians were at least able to piece together the differences that we had in some areas and the common vision of not wanting Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. I think the situation is different now because The Russians, because of their poor performance in Ukraine, are becoming increasingly dependent on Iran, and therefore, I think it’s very unlikely that they will put pressure on Iran to join any diplomatic deal because they’re trying to coax Iran into shipping more drones, missiles, and other capabilities.”
Colin Kahl made the comment in a House of Representatives session after a Republican lawmaker pressed him to find out why President Joe Biden’s administration was seeking to revive the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. “So I think there is still a view that if you can solve this problem diplomatically and bring back restrictions on their nuclear program, that’s better than other options. But right now, the JCPOA is frozen,” he added.
The Pentagon’s comment comes after a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that the agency is in discussions with Iran about the origin of uranium particles enriched to a purity of 83.7% at the Fordow facility, which is very close to the purity required to make nuclear weapons.
“Iran has informed the agency that unintended fluctuations in enrichment levels may have occurred during the transition period at the time the enrichment process began to 60% purity in November 2022 or during the replacement of the feed roller,” the report said.
Iranian nuclear facility
According to the agency’s confidential report, discussions are underway between the agency and Iran to clarify the matter.
According to the report, Iran has continued in recent months to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium.
The report stated that the stockpile rose on February 12 to 3,760.8 kg, compared to 3,673.7 kg last October, exceeding 18 times the ceiling permitted under the nuclear agreement.
The report comes a few days before a meeting of the UN agency’s board of governors.
Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is expected to visit Tehran this weekend.