Iran risks US fury after increasing uranium stockpile

Yahoo

5 days ago

Iran has risked the fury of the United States after increasing its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium by 50 per cent, despite talks with Donald Trump's administration over curbing its nuclear programme.
A new report from the UN nuclear watchdog revealed that Iran had added 133.8kg of uranium in the last three months – which, if enriched to 90 per cent, would be enough for three nuclear bombs.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the Islamic Republic had increased its stockpile of 60 per cent enriched uranium to 408.6kg from 274.8kg in early February.
Tehran now has enough fissile material for 10 nuclear weapons, and the US estimates that it could be converted in less than two weeks. The accumulation has accelerated despite talks between the two aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for the potential lifting of sanctions.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards has warned that any potential nuclear deal with the Trump administration could trigger a revolt within the elite military force, The Telegraph understands.
One senior official said: 'The commanders have warned the leader that striking a deal with the current American government would risk losing support from a significant segment of society and provoke deep anger among IRGC commanders.'
During his first stint in the White House, Mr Trump ordered the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, who led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' overseas Quds Force.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, the IAEA director general, said: 'The significantly increased production and accumulation of highly enriched uranium by Iran, the only non-nuclear weapon state to produce such nuclear material, is of serious concern.'
In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the report showed Iran's nuclear programme was not peaceful.
'The international community must act now to stop Iran,' the Israeli prime minister's office said, adding that the level of uranium enrichment Iran had reached 'exists only in countries actively pursuing nuclear weapons and has no civilian justification whatsoever'.
Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister and its lead negotiator in talks, said on Saturday: 'If the issue is nuclear weapons, yes, we too consider this type of weapon unacceptable. We agree with them on this issue.'
Iran maintains that the material is not for military use. US intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons programme, but has 'undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so'.
Mr Trump has described five rounds of talks as progressing well, though significant divisions remain over whether Iran can continue uranium enrichment under any future agreement.
Experts say uranium stockpile growth suggests Iran is using the talks to buy time and maintain leverage to accumulate nuclear material that could quickly be converted to weapons-grade levels.
The Islamic Republic is in its weakest position since the 1979 revolution that brought the clerical regime into power.
Israel's attacks on Hezbollah and the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria have significantly damaged its regional influence. Its ability to threaten Israel through Hamas and Hezbollah has been restricted, and it has lost Syria as a weapons-smuggling route.
The Telegraph has previously revealed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, is also under pressure from hardliners to lift a ban on building nuclear bombs.
The IAEA also detailed Iran's failure to co-operate with investigations into undeclared nuclear material discovered at several Iranian sites.
It said Iran operated an 'undeclared structured nuclear programme' until the early 2000s and retained 'unknown nuclear material and/or heavily contaminated equipment' at a Tehran site from 2009 until 2018.
Iran has repeatedly failed to provide credible explanations for uranium traces found at multiple locations.
Senior Iranian officials dismissed speculation last week about an imminent nuclear deal, saying that any agreement must fully lift sanctions and allow continued nuclear activities.
The comments followed Mr Trump's statement asking Mr Netanyahu to delay potential strikes on Iran to provide more negotiating time.
Mr Trump said on Friday he believed a deal could be completed in the 'not too distant future', adding that Iran would 'rather make a deal' than face military action.
In Tehran, residents have said they were increasingly frustrated with the regime's nuclear ambitions, accusing the authorities of dragging the country toward war while everyday life continued to deteriorate due to sanctions.
One shopkeeper in the Iranian capital told The Telegraph: 'We just want a normal life where we can feed our children. But they [the authorities] aren't thinking about us. We want bread, not a bomb.'
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