Iran Can Make Five Nukes in One Month’s Time, Report Says

Iran can produce enough weapon-grade material to power one nuclear bomb in twelve days. It could also produce four additional bombs in one month, according to a watchdog organization.

According to the Institute for Science and International Security, the Islamic Republic can enrich enough Uranium to make seven nuclear weapons within three months. report Analyzing information provided by IAEA, the United Nations’ nuclear oversight agency.

These results show Iran is closer to the nuclear threshold than ever before. Iran has been enriching its uranium to just below weapons-grade levels in recent months. This raises concerns that the Islamic Republic might be preparing to test a weapon. According to the IAEA, Iran may have enriched as high as 83.7 percent at Fordow’s nuclear facility. This military site is located deep in a mountain. These are the highest levels found at Iranian enrichment site and demonstrate the country’s technical expertise.

Concerns have been raised about the Fordow site’s discovery of more highly enriched Uranium. “Iran is undertaking covert experiments that add to its ability to more rapidly break out,” According to the report. “Worrisome possibilities include that Iran tested a way to produce near weapon-grade uranium without IAEA detection, or to syphon off a small amount of near 84 percent enriched uranium.”

Iran’s decision to cease cooperating with IAEA also limits its access to the country’s nukes activities.

“The IAEA reports that it can no longer reestablish continuity of knowledge about Iran’s activities under a revived [nuclear deal], such as production of advanced centrifuges and heavy water, due to Iran’s decision in February 2021 to deny the IAEA access to data from key JCPOA-related monitoring and surveillance equipment and Iran’s decision in June 2022 to remove all such equipment, including video cameras and online enrichment monitors,” The institute stated.

The international community has been severely restricted in its knowledge of Iranian enrichment activities by Iran’s refusal for international inspectors to access these sites. It raises the possibility that Iran may be attempting to obstruct international inspectors from accessing these sites. “Iran could accumulate a secret stock of advanced centrifuges, deployable in the future at a clandestine enrichment plant or during a breakout at declared sites,” According to the institute’s analyses.

According to the watchdog group, Iran may also install more centrifuge manufacturing facilities, which is the equipment that enriches uranium enough to make a bomb. “Iran is fully capable of moving manufacturing equipment to new, undeclared sites, further complicating any future verification effort and contributing to uncertainty about where Iran manufactures centrifuges,” The institute stated.