Iran Can Make Enough Weapon-Grade Uranium For A-Bomb In Month - Report

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2021) Iran may have enough low-enriched uranium to purify it to a degree that is required to make a nuclear weapon, with the worst-case breakout estimate as short as a month, a US nonprofit claimed.

David Albright, the founder of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C., and two other authors of the report estimated that Iran's suspected stockpile of between 2% and 60% enriched uranium could allow it to significantly reduce breakout time, which is the time required to make enough weapon-grade uranium for one bomb.

"A worst-case breakout estimate... is as short as one month.

Iran could produce a second significant quantity of WGU in less than three months after breakout commences. It could produce a third quantity in less than five months, where it would need to produce some of the WGU from natural uranium," the report read.

The UN nuclear watchdog IAEA published a quarterly report last week, saying that Iran continued to enrich uranium beyond the 3.67% limit stipulated by the 2015 nuclear deal. It said the Islamic Republic had accumulated 84.3 kilograms (186 Pounds) of 20% enriched uranium, up from 62.8 kilograms in May. Its stock of 60% enriched uranium grew to 10 kilograms from the previous reporting period's 2.4 kilograms.