Tehran boosts store of enriched uranium – UN

The UN atomic watchdog said yesterday it believes that Iran has further increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and criticised Tehran for continuing to bar the agency’s officials from accessing or monitoring Iranian nuclear sites. In its quarterly report, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that according to its assessment, as of October 22, Iran has an estimated 62.3kg of uranium enriched to up to 60% fissile purity. That amounts to an increase of 6.7kg since the IAEA’s last report in September. That enrichment to 60% purity is one short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Nonproliferation experts have warned in recent months that Iran now has enough 60%-enriched uranium to reprocess into fuel for at least one nuclear bomb.