Iran increased stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium before Israeli
attack, UN agency says
[September 04, 2025]
By STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN
VIENNA (AP) — A confidential report by the United Nations’ nuclear
watchdog circulated to member states and seen by The Associated Press
said Wednesday that Iran increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to
near weapons-grade levels before Israel launched its military attack on
June 13.
The report by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said
that as of June 13, Iran had 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium
enriched up to 60%, an increase of 32.3 kilograms (71.2 pounds) since
the IAEA’s last report in May.
The report stated that this figure is “based on the information provided
by Iran, agency verification activities between 17 May 2025 and 12 June
2025 (the day preceding the start of the military attacks), and
estimates based on the past operation of the relevant facilities.”
That material is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels
of 90%.
According to the IAEA, approximately 42 kilograms of 60% enriched
uranium is theoretically enough to produce one atomic bomb, if enriched
further to 90%.
IAEA calls for inspections to resume
The confidential report also said Iran and the IAEA have not reached an
agreement on resuming inspections of sites affected by Israeli and U.S.
bombing in June.
It remains unclear just how much the Israeli and U.S. strikes disrupted
Iran’s nuclear program. Israel targeted Iranian nuclear and military
sites, saying it could not allow Tehran to develop atomic weapons and
that it feared the Islamic Republic was close. Iran has long maintained
that its program is peaceful.
On June 22, the U.S. dropped bunker-buster bombs on nuclear sites.
On July 2, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law adopted by
the Iranian Parliament to suspend all cooperation with the agency.
The only site inspected since the war has been the Bushehr Nuclear Power
Plant, which operates with Russian technical assistance. Inspectors
watched a fuel replacement at the plant on Aug. 27 and 28.
The director general of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said
that “technical modalities to enable the full resumption of Agency
inspection should be concluded without delay,” the report stated.
The report stated that while the withdrawal of UN inspectors from Iran
during the war “was necessary given the overall security situation,"
Tehran's subsequent decision to cut cooperation with the IAEA was
”deeply regrettable."
As of June 13, Iran’s total enriched uranium stockpile was 9874.9
kilograms (21,770.4 pounds) which represents an increase of 627.3
kilograms (1,382.9 pounds) since the last repot in May, the report said.
The IAEA said that since June 13, it has “not been able to conduct the
in-field activities required to collect and verify Iran’s declarations
used to estimate the changes to the previously reported stockpile.”
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International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General, Rafael
Grossi, addresses the media after arriving at the Vienna
International Airport in Schwechat, Austria, Tuesday, May 7, 2024.
(AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader, File)
The IAEA also reported that inspectors have not been able to verify
Iran's near bomb-grade stockpile for over two and a half months, which
it called “a matter of serious concern."
Iran is legally obliged to cooperate with the IAEA under the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
More negotiations ahead
The report detailed the discussions between Iran and the U.N. nuclear
watchdog to resume inspections over the past month and a half, stating
that a technical team from the IAEA held discussions in Tehran with
Iranian officials on Aug. 11.
The report states that on Aug. 14, Iran sent a letter providing a
detailed draft of a “new arrangement,” under which the IAEA would have
to submit its requests for inspections of undamaged facilities “on a
case by case basis.”
With regard to damaged sites, the report states that Iran “undertook to
provide the Agency with a report ‘up to one month after the finalization
of this Arrangement.’” According to the Iranian proposal, only after the
submission of such a report would Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog
negotiate a new arrangement for cooperation.
The IAEA chief made clear to Iran that any cooperation arrangement must
be in accordance with Tehran’s nuclear safeguards agreement that it has
with the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
The report said that discussion between Iran and the IAEA will continue
in Vienna "in the next few days.”
The report by the IAEA comes at a sensitive time as France, Germany and
the United Kingdom on Aug. 28 started the process of reimposing
sanctions on Iran.
The process, termed a “snapback” by the diplomats who negotiated it into
Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, was designed to be
veto-proof at the U.N. and could take effect in a month.
The move set a 30-day clock ticking for sanctions to return unless the
West and Iran reach a diplomatic agreement.
European nations have said they would be willing to extend the deadline
if Iran resumes direct negotiations with the U.S. over its nuclear
program, allows U.N. nuclear inspectors access to its nuclear sites, and
accounts for the over 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium the U.N.
watchdog says it has.
So far, none of these conditions have been met by Iran.
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