Iran could weaponize its uranium in one week, new report says
The country can produce six weapons in a month using the remaining enriched uranium.
The Institute for Science and International Security, which has been monitoring the Iranian nuclear program since the 1990s, has released a new report that raises the alarm about Iran’s imminent nuclear capability. Its threat level is now “Extreme Danger”, the highest rating of the six.
The report states that since 2022 Iran’s “breakout” time is zero. This means the country has more than enough highly enriched (HEU) uranium to make a nuclear bomb. Uranium is not required for a nuclear weapon but it is the most difficult to obtain. The report states that Iran could enrich its 60 percent enriched Uranium to 90 percent Weapon-Grade Uranium (WGU )…) very quickly.
It continues, “[Iran] could break out and produce sufficient weapon-grade enriched Uranium for a Nuclear Weapon in a Week,” using only a fraction 60 percent of its uranium. If Iran takes steps to delay inspectors access, it could be hard for inspectors detect this breakout.
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The country could also produce enough weapon-grade material to make 12 weapons after 5 months.
The weapon would not take much longer to make.
The delivery system could take a while, but an accelerated program for developing a simple nuclear warhead that can be delivered by truck or ship “could” be completed in six months. This would signal Iran’s nuclearization either through snooping or a dramatic underground nuclear test.
The report also noted that Iran had been unwilling to cooperate with international inspectors of nuclear weapons for several years. This made it less likely the world would be able to detect such an activity in time and prevent its success.
