Iran's Near Bomb-Grade Uranium Stock Grows

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Iran increased its stockpile of near bomb-grade uranium, a move that could flame tensions across the wider Middle East as Tehran prepares to hold presidential elections next month.

Posted by LampLighter at 11:31 AM | 29 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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... It's the first nuclear-safeguards assessment since Iran's president and foreign minister died in a helicopter crash just days after top officials from the United Nations' atomic watchdog traveled to the country to secure greater cooperation in their monitoring efforts.

International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors verified on Monday that Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium rose 17% over the last three months, according to a nine-page, restricted report circulated among diplomats and seen by Bloomberg. That's enough uranium to fuel several warheads, should Iran make a political decision to pursue weapons.

"Further public statements made in Iran during this reporting period regarding its technical capabilities to produce nuclear weapons and possible changes to Iran's nuclear doctrine only increase concerns about the correctness and completeness of Iran's safeguards declarations," IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in the report.

The war in Gaza and recent tit-for-tat missile strikes between Israel and Iran have added urgency to the IAEA's years-long search to uncover the scope of Tehran's nuclear ambitions. While the IAEA carries out daily inspections of declared atomic facilities, suspicions linger over whether Iranian engineers could be concealing work used for military purposes. Tehran has blocked the agency's investigation into uranium detected at undeclared locations. ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-05-28 02:04 AM | Reply

... tit-for-tat ...

If I may add...

Those are three words I would really NOT like to see in a news article.

imo, they never seem to result in a happy place.

#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-05-28 02:06 AM | Reply

The sooner they get the bomb and the right missiles the better.

For World Peace.

Strength deters Aggression.

Why is only the West allowed to hold the Biosphere Hostage?

Truman should have known better. This Nightmare World belongs to Him.

He smugly believed the US could maintain the Atomic monopoly.

Russia had the bomb by 1948-9.

Now the Nuclear Club wants to bar new members.

It's not going to stop them. Not ------- with them would work better.

Be Cheaper too.

Strong International Law and a fully funded UN are the best hope for Man.

Nationalism will kill everybody.

#3 | Posted by Effeteposer at 2024-05-28 02:18 AM | Reply

@#3 ... Nationalism will kill everybody. ...

Tell that to the entity that seems to feed your current alias its talking points.

#4 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-05-28 02:20 AM | Reply

Now the Nuclear Club wants to bar new members.

That was the whole point of the "Nuclear Club".

#5 | Posted by REDIAL at 2024-05-28 03:03 AM | Reply

Thank you, Mr. Stable Boy Genius!
~ The Ayatollahs

#6 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2024-05-28 08:31 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Thank Bush and Trump.

Bush taught Iran that if they don't have nukes, a nutcase might lie and invade them.
Trump ended the agreement limiting their program and authorizing inspections.

#7 | Posted by Sycophant at 2024-05-28 04:09 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

And Obama flushed them with cash...

#8 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2024-05-29 12:00 AM | Reply

The------------------- needs to take a victory lap.

#9 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2024-05-29 12:06 AM | Reply

" And Obama flushed them with cash...

#8 | POSTED BY LFTHNDTHRDS AT 2024-05-29 12:00 AM | FLAG: "

So did Biden.

#10 | Posted by BellRinger at 2024-05-29 12:34 AM | Reply

Trump's the one who blew up the Iran deal.

We had human monitors, cameras, and other means of verifying Iran was sticking to the deal not to enrich uranium to weapons grade. By all accounts, Iran was adhering to the terms of the deal that repatriated some of their previously frozen funds in return.

Trump blew that up.

#11 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2024-05-29 12:42 AM | Reply

" Trump blew that up.
#11 | POSTED BY AMERICANUNITY AT 2024-05-29 12:42 AM | REPLY"

Yes, he did. And from where I sat I thought he got that one right. Iran was weakened, marginalized and isolated under that brand of foreign policy.

Under Obama and Biden Iran was enabled, emboldened and empowered.

I look at the actions Iran has taken and hasn't taken under two significantly different foreign policy approaches and have drawn my conclusions based off that.

#12 | Posted by BellRinger at 2024-05-29 12:52 AM | Reply

Yes, he did. And from where I sat I thought he got that one right. Iran was weakened, marginalized and isolated under that brand of foreign policy.

And Trump breathed new life into their nuclear weapons program. The one they weren't pursuing under the previous deal.

Under Obama and Biden Iran was enabled, emboldened and empowered.

That's just a stupid and untrue statement.

Let's remember Iran got set loose by our historically FUBAR invasion of Iraq. A country that didn't attack us and kept Iran in check. Fighting that war MADE Iran a major player where they'd previously been held in check by Iraq.

Any more stupid Republican talking points I can eviscerate? :-)

#13 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2024-05-29 01:04 AM | Reply

" Let's remember Iran got set loose by our historically FUBAR invasion of Iraq. A country that didn't attack us and kept Iran in check. Fighting that war MADE Iran a major player where they'd previously been held in check by Iraq."

This might surprise you but I agree with that statement. In my lifetime, going back to Nixon, I think W has been our worst president.

#14 | Posted by BellRinger at 2024-05-29 01:12 AM | Reply

" And Trump breathed new life into their nuclear weapons program. The one they weren't pursuing under the previous deal"

The previous deal temporarily delayed their nuclear ambitions, at best, by about ten years. It also guaranteed they'd become a nuclear power under the conditions that were set under the previous agreement and that assumed perfect compliance which we were not getting.

Sanctioning and isolating them seems to limit their ability to inflict harm. And strategic takedown of hidden facilities seems like a better option than setting the table for them to become a nuclear power.

#15 | Posted by BellRinger at 2024-05-29 01:16 AM | Reply

#14 | Posted by BellRinger

How's your college musician doing?

#16 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2024-05-29 01:17 AM | Reply

And strategic takedown of hidden facilities seems like a better option than setting the table for them to become a nuclear power.

Our bunker buster bombs can't reach the depths of their most sensitive nuclear enrichment facilities.

We had cameras in them until Trump blew it all sky high.

If they were previously 10 years from a weapon, Trump made it 3 years now (10 years - 4 years of Trump and 3 Biden years).

#17 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2024-05-29 01:20 AM | Reply

Under Obama and Biden Iran was enabled, emboldened and empowered.

IIRC, the money that was returned to Iran under the deal could only be used for food and other such purchases.

It didn't go into Iran's general fund.

#18 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2024-05-29 01:23 AM | Reply

I hope they already have more than one.

If Israel fuvks with them?

They might regret it..

#19 | Posted by Effeteposer at 2024-05-29 01:25 AM | Reply

" Our bunker buster bombs can't reach the depths of their most sensitive nuclear enrichment facilities"

Israel has managed to do it clandestinely.

" IIRC, the money that was returned to Iran under the deal could only be used for food and other such purchases."

Money is fungible. They were able to divert existing funds to terrorist operations because our government gave them money, or more accurately, released frozen funds.

PS - thank you for the polite conversation.

#20 | Posted by BellRinger at 2024-05-29 01:34 AM | Reply

PS - thank you for the polite conversation.

#20 | Posted by BellRinger

You're welcome :-)

If you end up voting for Trump, though ... He's a threat to democracy and given us every reason to believe him. Would you really want America to turn into a dictatorship? Some on the right think that might be hunky dorey, but the reality is everyone would be at risk.

#21 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2024-05-29 01:44 AM | Reply

" #21 | POSTED BY AMERICANUNITY AT 2024-05-29 01:44 AM | REPLY"

Right now, I'm leaning heavily toward 3rd party. Again.

#22 | Posted by BellRinger at 2024-05-29 01:55 AM | Reply

Right now, I'm leaning heavily toward 3rd party. Again.

#22 | Posted by BellRinger

Perhaps consider ONE TIME voting for a Democrat this time.

Trump poses a dire threat to our democratic system. You know this.

A third party vote THIS time is a vote for Trump and the end of democracy. That's what he's promised.

Is that a world you want your kids growing up in? I'd hope not ...

#23 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2024-05-29 02:17 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

The smelly------------- is responsible for Iran enriching uranium at warp speed.

#24 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2024-05-29 03:53 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Yes, he did. And from where I sat I thought he got that one right. Iran was weakened, marginalized and isolated under that brand of foreign policy.
Under Obama and Biden Iran was enabled, emboldened and empowered.
I look at the actions Iran has taken and hasn't taken under two significantly different foreign policy approaches and have drawn my conclusions based off that.

#12 | POSTED BY BELLRINGER

Yes, they were SO weakened, marginalized and isolated under Trump that they went RIGHT back to making nukes.

And they were SO enabled, emboldened and empowered under Obama that they were giving up nukes just to get trade going.

Your conclusions seem pretty stupid.

#25 | Posted by Sycophant at 2024-05-29 10:28 AM | Reply

A quick reality check. Highly enriched uranium (HEU) is uranium that has been enriched in fissile U-235 isotope relative to the fertile isotope U-238. Natural uranium from Earth is 99.25% U-238 and 0.725% U-235. Enriched uranium, what you would need to run a light water reactor (LWR), is 2-5% U-235. HEU is anything over 20% U-235. This uranium cannot be used in weapons. It can be used in smaller reactors, like you would find in a nuclear sub or a small modular reactor (SMR). That the American nuclear industry regards SMRs as the future of the industry implies that Iran would be attempting to bootstrap their industry to fifth generation reactors instead of copying the outdated LWR designs used in the West. Weapons grade uranium is 90% U-235. That is significantly more enriched than anything Iran is even accused of having. Despite being called "weapons grade", you actually need to enrich uranium to over 95% to make a practical weapon out of it. Further, because of a variety of esoteric technical reasons, you can't easily miniaturize a uranium bomb.

If you actually wanted to make nuclear weapons, instead of making a large and complex enrichment infrastructure, you would simply build a heavy water reactor and use un-enriched, natural uranium to generate plutonium. You could then separate the plutonium from the uranium fuel through a relatively simple chemical process. You'd then have weapons grade plutonium you could use to build miniaturized warheads suitable for use on ballistic missiles, as well as for the initiator stage of a thermonuclear warhead. This is in fact the path North Korea took in their nuclear program. We know for a fact that Iran has purchased missile technology from North Korea in exchange for oil. Why wouldn't they have also purchased nuclear technology from them?

This article is just more fear mongering from the hawks in America and Israel ignoring the fact that Israel is currently committing genocide in Gaza and the West Bank in a bid to create a racially pure ethno-state.

#26 | Posted by s1l3ntc0y0t3 at 2024-05-29 12:56 PM | Reply

Your conclusions seem pretty stupid.
#25 | POSTED BY SYCOPHANT

Seconded.

Swallow it, JEFFY.

#27 | Posted by rstybeach11 at 2024-05-29 01:02 PM | Reply

"Under Obama and Biden Iran was enabled, emboldened and empowered."

More maga bs.

Under Obama Iran was being brought back into the community of civilized nations and we were beginning to repair the relationship between our two countries.

Now our relationship is worse than ever.

We may have even been able to prevent or convince Iran from attacking Israel via its proxies on October 7th and after if we actually had a diplomatic and trade relationship with them.

#28 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-05-29 04:38 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

" Your conclusions seem pretty stupid.

#25 | POSTED BY SYCOPHANT AT 2024-05-29 10:28 AM | REPLY"

Their nuclear activities never stopped. Under Obama and Biden they were pumped with cash and were empowered to engage in supporting terrorism. The timeline bears this out.

Your conclusions are both very stupid and very partisan. That applies to Rstyrtrombonebeach as well.

#29 | Posted by BellRinger at 2024-05-30 01:26 AM | Reply