Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), claims Iran is nearing the point where it should be considered on par with nuclear-armed nations. According to the IAEA Director-General and U.N. weapons inspector, the rogue Islamic Republic is believed to be near the point where it can enrich uranium for military use—including the development and production of nuclear weapons.
“It has uranium at 60 percent—90 percent is military grade—and is thus practically at the same level as nuclear-armed states,” Grossi warned earlier this week. Meanwhile, earlier this month, the Biden government admitted its Iran policy has failed to deter the Islamic Republic from continuing its pursuit of nuclear weapons. The December report, released by the Office of the United States Director of National Intelligence, alleges that “Iran now has enough fissile material to make more than a dozen nuclear weapons.”
The continued increase in uranium enrichment levels suggests Iran ignored restrictions put into effect by the 2015 nuclear deal and clandestinely continued to develop military-grade fissile material. In 2018, President Donald J. Trump withdrew from the agreement, opting instead for a maximum pressure campaign against Iran. This included aggressive sanctions, which largely crippled the Iranian economy and likely left the country’s government unable to afford continued weapons development.
From 2018 to 2021, Iran went from exporting roughly 1.8 million barrels of crude oil daily in 2017 to a historic low of under 500,000 barrels per day in 2020. In addition, the Trump sanctions cut Iran’s GPD nearly in half between 2017 and 2020, dropping from almost $500 billion to just $240 billion.
Last month, the United Nations (UN) censured Iran after the country announced it is set to initiate a program that will develop “new and advanced” centrifuges used in uranium enrichment.