Iran Says Low Enriched Uranium Stockpile at 360 kg

In comments to the Tasnim news agency, Iran’s atomic energy agency has confirmed that their stockpile of low-enriched uranium is in excess of 360 kg at this point. This is substantially more than the 300 kg cap that was voluntary after the US withdrew from the P5+1 nuclear deal.

The 300 kg level was reached in early July, when Iran began increasing  the rate of enrichment. This uranium is intended to be converted to fuel rods for the Bushehr Power Plant, and Iran is hoping more enrichment means less dependency on international fuel.

Though exceeding the cap is bound to be exploited by hawks as a sign Iran is a nuclear risk, the 360 kg of very low enriched uranium is still far below what would even be conceivably needed to produce a single weapon.

Iran has been increasing enrichment to try to convince the other parties to the nuclear deal to come through on promised sanctions relief, for which they’d return to voluntary restrictions on their civilian program. Either way, Iran has no active military program, and nothing they’re doing is remotely a weapons proliferation risk.