\u201cOne of Iran\u2019s options in the event of another attack could be 90 per cent enrichment, We will review it in the parliament,\u201d said Iranian Parliamentary Commission spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei amid reports of renewed US attacks<\/p>\n
Amid media reports suggesting US President Donald Trump is weighing fresh military action against Iran as negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain stalled, the Islamic Republic on Tuesday warned that it may enrich its uranium stockpile to 90 per cent purity \u2014 considered weapons-grade level \u2014 if it comes under renewed attack from the United States or Israel.<\/p>\n
In a post on X, Iranian Parliamentary Commission spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei, said, \u201cOne of Iran\u2019s options in the event of another attack could be 90 per cent enrichment.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe will review it in the parliament,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u06cc\u06a9\u06cc \u0627\u0632 \u06af\u0632\u06cc\u0646\u0647\u200c\u0647\u0627\u06cc \u0627\u06cc\u0631\u0627\u0646 \u062f\u0631 \u0635\u0648\u0631\u062a \u062d\u0645\u0644\u0647 \u0645\u062c\u062f\u062f \u0645\u06cc\u200c\u062a\u0648\u0627\u0646\u062f \u063a\u0646\u06cc\u200c\u0633\u0627\u0632\u06cc \u06f9\u06f0 \u062f\u0631\u0635\u062f \u0628\u0627\u0634\u062f. \u062f\u0631 \u0645\u062c\u0644\u0633 \u0628\u0631\u0631\u0633\u06cc \u0645\u06cc\u200c\u06a9\u0646\u06cc\u0645.<\/p>\n
\u2014 \u0627\u0628\u0631\u0627\u0647\u06cc\u0645 \u0631\u0636\u0627\u06cc\u06cc (@EbrahimRezaei14) May 12, 2026<\/a>Iran\u2019s uranium stockpile<\/p>\n According to a New York Times report, over the past eight years, following President Trump\u2019s withdrawal of the US from the nuclear agreement with Tehran during his first term, Iran has built up an estimated 22,000 pounds (11,000 kilograms) of enriched uranium.\u00a0<\/p>\n Iran began enriching uranium on an industrial scale in 2006, maintaining that its nuclear programme was intended for peaceful purposes.<\/p>\n However, reports from the United Nations\u2019 nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), showed that the country\u2019s uranium reserves continued to expand over time.<\/p>\n In 2010, Tehran announced plans to enrich uranium up to 20 per cent purity, claiming the material was needed as fuel for a research reactor. That level is widely regarded as the threshold separating civilian and potential military applications.<\/p>\n According to the IAEA, around 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of Iran\u2019s uranium stockpile has now been enriched to 60 per cent purity \u2014 technically only a short step away from weapons-grade uranium, which is enriched to about 90 per cent.<\/p>\n STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD<\/p>\n Experts note that the enrichment process becomes progressively easier as purity levels increase. Moving from natural uranium to 20 per cent enrichment is significantly more difficult than advancing from 20 per cent to 60 per cent, or from 60 per cent to 90 per cent, the level generally associated with nuclear weapons production.<\/p>\n In June 2021, then-Iranian President Hassan Rouhani acknowledged that Iran had the technical capability to enrich uranium up to 90 per cent if required for its reactors. At the same time, he reiterated Tehran\u2019s support for reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement, under which Iran would limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.<\/p>\n \u201cIran\u2019s Atomic Energy Organisation can enrich uranium by 20 per cent and 60 per cent and, if one day our reactor needs it, it can enrich uranium to 90 per cent purity,\u201d Mehr news agency quoted Rouhani as saying during a cabinet meeting.<\/p>\n Where is Iran\u2019s uranium?<\/p>\n The current location of Iran\u2019s uranium stockpile remains uncertain. The IAEA believes that much of the material is still stored at the Isfahan nuclear complex, which was targeted in airstrikes in June last year and later faced less severe attacks during this year\u2019s US-Israeli operations.<\/p>\n STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD<\/p>\n Referring to satellite imagery, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said earlier this week that the agency believes a substantial portion of Iran\u2019s highly enriched uranium \u201cwas stored there in June 2025 when the 12-day war broke out, and it has remained there since.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have not yet been able to inspect the site or confirm whether the material is still there and whether the IAEA seals remain intact,\u201d Grossi said. \u201cWe hope to verify that soon, but for now, this remains our best assessment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Closely tracking Iran\u2019s enriched uranium\u2019<\/p>\n President Trump has repeatedly pointed to Iran\u2019s enriched uranium stockpile \u2014 which he has referred to as \u201cnuclear dust\u201d \u2014 as a justification for his military campaign against Tehran\u2019s Islamic regime, a conflict that has now continued for more than 70 days.<\/p>\n He has maintained that the United States would not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not going to let Iran have a nuclear weapon,\u201d Trump has said repeatedly.<\/p>\n STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD<\/p>\n Earlier this week, he told reporters that Washington was \u201cclosely monitoring\u201d Iran\u2019s uranium stockpile and warned that the US would know if anyone approached the site and would \u201cblow them up.\u201d<\/p>\n On Monday, Trump also cautioned that the ceasefire in the Middle East conflict was on \u201clife support\u201d after dismissing Iran\u2019s latest counterproposal. Tehran, meanwhile, said its military was prepared to respond to any further aggression.<\/p>\n With inputs from agencies<\/p>\n First Published: Home<\/a>World<\/a>\u2018One of Iran\u2019s options…\u2019: Tehran warns of weapons-grade uranium enrichment if attacked againEnd of Article
\nMay 12, 2026, 18:22 IST<\/p>\n