Iran’s 60%-level enriched uranium stockpile has increased to 275 kilograms, or about one full nuclear weapon’s worth per month since December, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi said Monday.
“We need real answers, [and we need] to stop [just] talking about process,” which might only delay Iran’s efforts to develop its nuclear ambitions, he told the IAEA’s Board of Governors.
The IAEA has found that Tehran has enough 60%-enriched uranium – which could be quickly converted to the 90% weaponized level – to make six nuclear weapons if it decided to do so.
This is without even taking into account Iran’s enriched uranium, which has been developed to 20% and lower levels.
According to Israeli and some US estimates, Iran could potentially develop an even larger number of nuclear weapons than the IAEA estimates, especially if it made smaller nuclear bombs.
Iran’s latest spike in uranium enrichment was its response to the IAEA condemning it in November 2024 for nuclear violations.
The report also comes as top Iranian officials forced out vice president Javad Zarif, one of the government’s top advocates for diplomacy with the West.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has so far signaled zero willingness to trust and negotiate with the Trump administration over the nuclear issue, given the increased sanctions that the administration has placed on Iran since US President Donald Trump took office on January 20.
Khamenei has said Trump’s pulling out of the nuclear deal between Iran and the West in 2018 disqualifies him from being a trusted negotiating partner. Trump has said Khamenei has a limited timeline to cut a deal before facing consequences.
Would Trump green light Israel attacking Iran's nuclear program?
It is unclear whether Trump would green-light Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear program in the coming months, or whether he would press European countries to invoke the global sanctions snapback mechanism.
The IAF destroyed all of Iran’s most effective antiaircraft systems, the five S-300 systems it bought from Russia, on October 26 in response to a second massive Iranian ballistic-missile attack against Israel on October 1.
Grossi told the Board of Governors: “Following my last report, Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% U-235 has increased to 275 kg., up from 182 kg. in the past quarter. Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state enriching to this level, causing me serious concern.”
“It has been four years since Iran stopped implementing its nuclear-related commitments” under the nuclear deal, he said.
Iran’s claim that it has declared all of its nuclear materials “is inconsistent with the agency’s findings of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at undeclared locations in Iran,” Grossi said. “The agency needs to know the current locations of the nuclear material and/or of contaminated equipment involved.”
“There is also a discrepancy in the material balance of uranium involved in uranium metal production experiments conducted at Jaber Ibn Hayan Multipurpose Laboratory, for which Iran has not accounted,” he added.
Many of these question marks from the IAEA about Iran’s nuclear program stem from a 2018 Mossad operation that seized large volumes of nuclear secrets from the Shirobad area of Tehran.
“I deeply regret that Iran, despite having indicated a willingness to consider accepting the designation of four additional experienced agency inspectors, did not accept their designation,” Grossi said.
Moreover, he said he would “produce a comprehensive and updated assessment on the presence and use of undeclared nuclear material in connection with past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program,” as instructed by the Board of Governors in November.
He did not specify a deadline for filing the report.
“My visit to Tehran last November, and meetings with President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicate that there may be room for constructive compromises,” Grossi said. “I hope to see them again soon and pursue effective dialogue and tangible results.”
So far, there has been no progress, he added.
Grossi said he was encouraged that Trump had said he would prefer a diplomatic solution.
If Iran does decide to weaponize its uranium, it would still need to overcome certain special detonation and delivery issues if it wanted to target Israel.
There is an ongoing debate about whether overcoming those obstacles could take a few months or up to two years, depending on how many corners Tehran would cut along the way.