Iran’s nuclear enrichment program at ‘bomb-making levels’: IAEA chief's warning

The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog on Wednesday warned that Iran has commenced enriching the uranium at purity levels that “only countries making bombs are reaching”. The director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, in a statement to Financial Times termed the situation as “very concerning,” adding that Iran was enriching the uranium to a degree that “requires a vigilant eye.” A country enriching at 60 percent " is a serious thing," IAEA director-general told the newspaper. He further warned, that 60 percent was almost "weapons-grade" as the commercial enrichment was approximately two or three percent. 

Earlier, the director of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University and a weapons-of-mass-destruction expert on former President Barack Obama’s National Security Council, Gary Samore had cautioned that the Iranians believed that their nuclear activity “provides leverage in the Nuclear deal talks.” He continued, “Since some portion of Natanz appears to have been knocked out for some period, that weakens their leverage, and they have compensated by announcing higher enrichment levels.” 

Samore referred to the attack at Iran’s Natanz nuclear plant located south of Tehran that damaged a number of centrifuges causing an electrical blackout, earlier last month. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, in a statement after the sabotage of Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility had said, that Iran will start enriching some of its stock of uranium to 60 percent, as it will continue to participate in talks in Vienna for the US reversal of economic sanctions. Iran had blamed Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency for the incident at its underground Natanz nuclear facility. 

The White House, meanwhile, had said that the US had no involvement in the attack. Tehran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf tweeted earlier last week: "I am proud to announce that at 00:40 last night, and on the night of the pilgrimage of Sayyid al-Shuhada, young and pious Iranian scientists were able to obtain a product of 60 percent enriched uranium."He added, ”Congratulations to the brave people of Islamic Iran on this success.”

Iran swore to install 1,000 new centrifuges

While the 60 percent enrichment of uranium by Iran would be deemed a record high, it remains below the 90 percent threshold that is needed to manufacture nuclear weapons. In the aftermath of the electrical grid compromise at the Natanz atomic site, which Iran’s Hassan Rouhani called an act of ‘nuclear terrorism,’ Iran swore to install another 1,000 centrifuges with 50 percent more capacity to the enrichment machines, in addition to replacing the damaged ones. Blaming Israel’s spy agency for launching an attack on the key facility in Isfahan Province, Iran’s Ali Akbar Salehi of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that the centrifuges are now producing uranium at 9 grams an hour, but that would drop to 5 grams an hour in the days ahead. “Now, any enrichment (level) is possible if we decide it,” Salehi said in a state televised address.