Iran has ability to build its own nuclear bomb, says UN report

‘Iran has not provided credible explanations or the current locations of the nuclear material’

IRAN has gathered enough enriched uranium to produce a nuclear bomb, the UN’S atomic agency has reportedly discovered.

In an official UN report seen by the Wall Street Journal, UN nuclear inspectors said that Iran had not offered any “credible” explanation for its stockpiles of nuclear material.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also noted that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched, weaponsgrade uranium had increased 22lbs to about 95lbs over the past three months.

“Iran has not provided explanations that are technically credible,” IAEA inspectors said. “Nor has Iran informed the Agency of the current location(s) of the nuclear material and/or of the equipment contaminated with nuclear material.” A source close to the IAEA told the US newspaper that Iran now has enough uranium enriched at 60 per cent to produce a nuclear weapon.

Since the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, Tehran has ramped up work on its nuclear programme, but insists its nuclear programme is peaceful. Talks between Western allies and Tehran on restoring the nuclear deal are in deadlock over a row about lifting terrorism sanctions on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

It came as Naftali Bennett, the Israeli prime minister, posted a link on Twitter to a series of intercepted documents about Iran’s nuclear programme.

In one of the papers, published on Google Drive, Iranian officials discuss plans for a “cover story” that will help them conceal their nuclear programme from international inspectors.

“Iran lied to the world, Iran is lying to the world again right now, and the world must make sure that Iran doesn’t get away scot-free,” Mr Bennett said.