Iran has substantially expanded its production of highly-enriched uranium since December, further increasing its stockpile of near-weapons grade material, according to a person familiar with a report prepared for next week’s meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors.
According to the IAEA report, the stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent, just short of the level needed to produce a weapon, has grown by 92.5 kilograms, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the still-confidential report.
The report comes amid growing concerns that Iran may purse a nuclear weapon in response to the cascade of setbacks Tehran has suffered across the region in recent months. Iran is also under increasing pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who last week promised to “finish the job” against Iran with U.S. support.
President Donald Trump has promised a return to “maximum pressure” against Iran, and on Monday announced new sanctions against its oil industry.
The IAEA findings, first reported by the Associated Press and Reuters, were distributed to member states Wednesday.
Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful, civilian purposes. But in recent months, Iranian officials have begun discussing changes to the country’s nuclear doctrine in public. A U.S. intelligence report released in December referenced the debate, saying that the country’s position “risks emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran’s decision-making apparatus.”
In Israel, some reporting has suggested that Netanyahu is considering an attack on Iran’s nuclear program. Earlier this month, U.S. intelligence warned that Israel is likely to strike Iran in the coming months, but the agencies cautioned that such action would only set the program back weeks or months.
Sixty percent enrichment is considered just a short step from the 90 percent needed to fuel a nuclear device. Last month, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi warned that the window for a diplomatic resolution to the West’s standoff with Iran may be closing. He said Iran already has enough nuclear material to make “several bombs.”
“The amount is there,” Grossi warned while responding to questions from European lawmakers on Iran’s nuclear program. “One thing is true: They have amassed enough nuclear material for several nuclear weapons, not one at this point,” he said.
In an analysis of a 2024 IAEA report on Iran, researchers at the Institute for Science and International Security concluded that Iran would need roughly one month to further refine its stockpile into weapons-grade fuel.