IRAN’S NUKESIran Nuclear Weapons Breakout Time Remains at Zero

A new report from the Institute for Science and International Security summarizes and assesses information in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) quarterly safeguards report for 7 September 2022. The main finding: Iran’s breakout time, that is, the time between a political decision to produce a nuclear weapon and the completion of such weapon, remains at zero. Iran has more than enough 60 percent enriched uranium, or highly enriched uranium (HEU), in the form of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) to fashion a nuclear explosive. If Iran wanted to further enrich its 60 percent HEU up to 90 percent weapons-grade uranium (WGU), which is used in Iran’s known nuclear weapons designs, it could do so within weeks by utilizing only a few of the advanced centrifuge cascades it has in its possession.

The report was written by David Albright, the President and Founder of the Institute for Science and International Security; Sarah Burkhard, a Research Associate at the Institute for Science and International Security; and Andrea Stricker, the deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ (FDD) Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program and an FDD research fellow.

Here are the Background and Findings of the Institute’s report:

Background

·  This report summarizes and assesses information in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) quarterly safeguards report for September 7, 2022, Verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), including Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

·  Iran’s breakout time remains at zero. It has more than enough 60 percent enriched uranium, or highly enriched uranium (HEU) in the form of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) to directly fashion a nuclear explosive. If Iran wanted to further enrich its 60 percent HEU up to 90 percent weapons-grade uranium (WGU), used in Iran’s known nuclear weapons designs, it could do so within weeks utilizing only a few advanced centrifuge cascades.