Nuclear Energy: Iran Makes Progress in Uranium Enrichment

Two undisclosed reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealed on Wednesday that Iran possesses enough uranium enriched to a purity level of 60 percent to manufacture three atomic bombs, as defined by the IAEA, while still obstructing the agency’s work on key issues. According to the agency's definition, this level is close to that required for producing nuclear weapons. One of the reports, presented to member states and reviewed by Reuters, indicated that Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent has increased by 6.7 kilograms to 128.3 kilograms since the last report on September 4. This amount is more than three times the 42 kilograms that the IAEA defines as theoretically sufficient to create a nuclear bomb if further enriched. The purity level for nuclear weapons is about 90 percent.