Growing Concerns as Iran Accelerates Uranium Enrichment, Posing Nuclear Threat
In a recent revelation, Iranian scientists are reportedly capable of producing enough weapons-grade uranium to manufacture 12 nuclear bombs within a mere five months. The International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) disclosed that the Iranian regime has intensified the production rate of highly enriched uranium, reaching up to 60% purity.
While modern nuclear weapons necessitate uranium enrichment up to 90%, inspectors within the IAEA express concern that Iran could achieve this rapidly. David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector in Iraq and founder of the US Institute for Science and International Security, warns that Iran could start producing weapons-grade uranium in a matter of weeks, possessing the technical knowledge to construct nuclear weapons.
This revelation surfaces amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, fueled by the recent conflict in Gaza, Houthi shipping attacks in the Red Sea, and cross-border missile strikes between Iran and Pakistan, a nuclear power.
Albright emphasizes that if Iran continues its current rate of enriched uranium production, the regime could amass enough material for 12 bombs within five months. He underscores that Iran already possesses the know-how to build nuclear weapons, with the primary challenges lying in “nuclear weaponization” and delivery systems.
The move by Iran to increase enriched uranium production drew criticism from the US, Britain, France, and Germany last month. In a joint statement, the allies condemned the action, adding to concerns over Iran’s escalating nuclear program. Rafael Grossi, director-general of the IAEA, stressed that Iran must adhere to the nuclear proliferation treaty.
Simultaneously, calls have reignited for the UK to ban the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), following allegations of sponsoring terrorism globally. Recent revelations of foiled plots by Iran to harm individuals considered “enemies of the regime” have heightened the pressure on the British Government to proscribe the IRGC, characterized as a “malign influence around the world.”
Col Richard Kemp, a former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, criticizes the UK government’s failure to ban the IRGC, emphasizing the group’s history of attacks and terrorist activities. The call to proscribe the IRGC gains momentum amid heightened security concerns and evidence of the group’s involvement in various plots against Iranian dissidents and British citizens.
Former UN weapons inspector claims Iran has enough uranium to produce 12 nuclear bombs in 5 months.
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