[hypeatei]

The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) released a report in May saying they enriched up to 60% U-235 at one of their facilities[0].

> As previously reported, on 5 December 2024, Iran started feeding the two IR-6 cascades producing UF6 enriched up to 60% U-235 at FFEP with UF6 enriched up to 20% U-235, rather than UF6 enriched up to 5% U-235, without altering the enrichment level of the product. The effect of this change has been to significantly increase the rate of production of UF6 enriched up to 60% at FFEP to over 34 kg of uranium in the form of UF6 per month.

0: https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/25/06/gov2025-24.pd...

[sodality2]

60% is not weapons grade.

[dardeaup]

Why would any country enrich uranium to 60% or more?

[hwillis]

Radiopharmaceuticals are enriched to 60%. Iran is one of the top producers in the world. Iran has a natural abundance of radioactive isotopes- the background radiation of spots in Iran is extremely high: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsar,_Iran

https://www.energy.gov/science/ip/articles/harnessing-power-...

https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/08/723301/Iran-among-t...

[yyyk]

Iran imports radiopharmaceuticals from Canada and that import was never restricted. Besides, radiopharmaceuticals are done with cyclotrons and do not require 60% HEU.

[hwillis]

There are dozens of elements and isotopes used in radiopharmacology. Highly enriched uranium is absolutely one of them -hence why energy.gov is posting about it- and it's significantly cheaper than using a particle accelerator to create radioactive isotopes.

[yyyk]

HEU is not directly used in radiopharmacology for obvious reasons, the energy.gov posting is about a non-fissile isotope of Uranium and not HEU.

It's much cheaper to use a cyclotron than get massively sanctioned - unless you what you really want is a weapon.

[sorcerer-mar]

To negotiate back to a prior deal that was actually pretty great for all parties involved.

[g8oz]

Cato institute has argued it was for leverage in talks with the US. Iranians were quite clear about this, setting timelines for enrichment targets to amp up the pressure after the us withdrew from JCPOA.

[hypeatei]

No, but it was a significant jump from what they had before. I'm not a fan of what is being done by Israel and the US, to be clear.

[sodality2]

True. Weapons grade in approximately 2 months was one estimate given by the Institute for Science and International Security.

[throwaway2037]

I have heard similar estimates. I think what is important: It is less than one year. That is pretty quick from the view of regional geopolitics.

Here is a quote that I found from abc.net.au via Google:

    > According to the US Institute for Science and International Security, "Iran can convert its current stock of 60 per cent enriched uranium into 233kg of weapon-grade uranium in three weeks at the Fordow plant", which it said would be enough for nine nuclear weapons.

Putting on my black hat for moment: I think Iran's strategy to tip toe up to the line of weapons grade uranium is strategic genius. (Of course, I don't want them to have nuclear weapons!) It provides maximum deniability so they can get as many parts as close as possible before the final 12 months dash to get nuclear weapons.

[adgjlsfhk1]

the last bit of refinement is much easier than the initial bits. Natural abundance is 0.7%, so getting to 10% is about halfway to weapons grade and 60% is ~80-90% of the way there.

[UltraSane]

But weapons are the ONLY reason to enrich that high.

[throwaway2037]

You raise a very good point here, probably the most important consideration if one wishes to defend Israel's and US's recent bombing of Iranian nuclear research sites. I don't know any legitimate civilian purpose to enrich uranium to near-weapons grade... except to eventually produce weapons grade material.

[UltraSane]

Honestly Iran NEVER needed to enrich uranium if it only wanted nuclear electricity. It could have imported enriched uranium fuel rods for its nuclear reactor. Spending so much on deeply buried enrichment facilities was ALWAYS about getting nuclear weapons.

[throwaway2037]

Of course, it is insane to see so many people in this discussion plainly in denial about the intent of this programme.

[UltraSane]

Many people on this thread are rather inexplicably pro-Iran-having-nukes.

[sodality2]

Not true. Maybe the only plausible reason Iran has to make them, but that's a different claim.