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Nuclear proliferation

Iran Still Has Enough Nuclear Material to Build a Bomb, Senior Israeli Official Warns

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Despite recent air strikes, Israel still believes Iran has enough nuclear material to build a bomb, a senior Israeli military official has said. There are concerns that Tehran may rush to build a crude nuclear weapon now that the conflict between the two nations is over. The comments come as Iran's parliament has approved legislation to suspend all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog.

Key Takeaways:

  • Israel still believes Iran possesses enough nuclear material to build a bomb, with around 408kg of uranium enriched to at least 60 per cent.
  • The senior Israeli official stated that the prospect of Iran using its surviving enriched uranium to fashion a crude nuclear warhead in secret is a "concern".
  • Iran's parliament has approved legislation to suspend all cooperation with the IAEA, including removing monitoring cameras from nuclear sites and banning the watchdog's inspectors from entering the country.
  • The US and Israel have launched scathing attacks on reported leaks of US intelligence suggesting that the campaign only set back Iran's ambitions by months.
  • The IAEA has reported that further enriching the material to weapons-grade, around 80 to 90 per cent, is a relatively short process.
  • This could be enough for Iran to build 10 nuclear bombs, according to the IAEA.
  • Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has rejected claims by Donald Trump that it would resume nuclear talks with the US next week.
  • Mr Araghchi stated that Iran was "reviewing its policies" following the attacks but said it was "too early to judge whether successful negotiations are possible".

Statistics:

  • Iran possesses around 408kg of uranium enriched to at least 60 per cent.
  • Further enriching the material to weapons-grade, around 80 to 90 per cent, is a relatively short process.
  • The IAEA has reported that this could be enough for Iran to build 10 nuclear bombs.
  • The US and Israel have carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, including using bunker-busting bombs on the fortified Fordow enrichment facility.
  • The IAEA's chief, Rafael Grossi, has written to the Iranian government requesting permission to travel to the country and to resume nuclear inspections.

Sources:

  • "Israel expects Iran to rush to build a nuclear bomb now that the war is over." By Afshin Madadi and Henry Bodkin, The Telegraph. ()
  • "Iran parliament passes bill suspending UN nuclear watchdog cooperation." By Reuters. ()
  • "US and Israel launch scathing attacks on reported leaks of US intelligence." By The New York Times. ()

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