Amid escalating international warnings and reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency, questions are once again raised about the true intentions of Iran's nuclear program, as while Tehran claims that its program is peaceful, recent data indicates that its stockpile of enriched uranium is sufficient to manufacture nine nuclear bombs if further enriched, bringing it closer than ever to the "nuclear threshold."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Iran has enough highly enriched uranium to make nine nuclear bombs, while Tehran insists repeatedly that it is not developing a nuclear weapon.
But how accurate is this claim?
Although there is not complete clarity on how close Iran actually is to manufacturing a nuclear bomb, it is certain that it has made significant progress in producing the key element in any nuclear weapon: highly enriched uranium.
In a report distributed to member states on May 31, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that Iran possesses a quantity of uranium enriched to a purity level of 60%, which is not yet considered "weapons grade", but is sufficient to manufacture nine nuclear bombs if further enriched to 90%.
Netanyahu said on Friday, during his announcement of the "Rising Lion" operation: "Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time, perhaps within a year, maybe within a few months, and this poses a direct and real threat to Israel's existence."
Iran has significantly increased the pace of its uranium enrichment program since President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018, as it went from possessing about 150 kg of uranium enriched to 3.6% (a quantity designated for peaceful purposes and nuclear power plants) to now having an amount that is 50 times what it had six years ago.
In 2023, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that it found particles of uranium enriched to 83.7% at an Iranian nuclear facility - a level close to military use, and Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% stood at about 128.3 kg, the highest level documented to date.
The agency has repeatedly accused Tehran of violating its commitments under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but - for the first time in nearly 20 years - the agency's Board of Governors adopted an official resolution on Thursday declaring Iran to be in violation of those commitments, to which Iran responded by pledging to escalate its nuclear activities.