By TZBN Staff and Agencies.
Iran has Increased Uranium Enriched Stockpile to Near Weapons-Grade Levels, Newsweek has reported–attributing its report to a document from the United Nations‘ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency seen by The Associated Press (AP) on Tuesday, November 19, 2024.
The report from the International Atomic Energy Agency revealed that as of October 26, Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60 percent had grown to 182.3 kilograms (401.9 pounds), marking an increase of 17.6 kilograms (38.8 pounds) since the agency’s previous update in August.
Uranium enriched to 60 percent purity is nearing weapons-grade levels, requiring only a brief technical process to reach the 90 percent threshold needed for nuclear weapons.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) latest quarterly report also estimates that as of October 26, Iran’s total stockpile of enriched uranium has reached 6,604.4 kilograms (14,560 pounds), an increase of 852.6 kilograms (1,879.6 pounds) since August.
According to the agency, approximately 42 kilograms (92.5 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity could theoretically be sufficient for a single atomic weapon if further enriched to the 90 percent weapons-grade threshold.
In September 2023, Iran imposed restrictions on some of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s most seasoned inspectors, limiting the Vienna-based organization’s oversight capabilities.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that on November 16, a day after Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi concluded his visit to Iran, inspectors confirmed that Tehran had initiated preparatory measures to halt the growth of its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent U-235 at its underground facilities in Fordow and Natanz.
In a confidential report released Tuesday, the IAEA disclosed that during Rafael Mariano Grossi’s November 14 visit to Iran, Tehran agreed to address concerns over its removal of several veteran IAEA inspectors. As part of the agreement, Iran indicated it would consider approving the appointment of four additional experienced inspectors to assist the agency.
MEANWHILE bickering between Russia and the Biden Administration threatens to turn Ukraine into a neclear war battle ground with the concequencial possibility that the NATO alliance could be drawn into direct confrontation with Russia.
But the United States appears to lack support from its European Union friends in this gimmicks which could lead to an all-out war with Russia. A commentator on RT News says, for instance, Germany is in disagreement with the US on escalating the conflict in Ukraine through provision of missiles that can strike deeper into Russia.
European caution is taken amid Russian preparations for nuclear war. President Vladimir Putin has approved Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine to share the country’s nuclear deterrence with its allies—mirroring NATO‘s “attack on one member is an attack on all” doctrine, Newsweek has reported.
The Kremlin document, published by the Russian Defense Ministry on Telegram, replaces earlier decrees and takes effect from Tuesday. The new policy states that Russian nuclear deterrence will be exercised “against a potential enemy” and views nuclear weapon use as an “extreme measure.”
The decree emphasizes that Russia’s top state priority is deterring aggression from potential adversaries against itself and its allies. It adds that nuclear deterrence should ensure “an understanding by a potential adversary of the inevitability of retaliation in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation and (or) its allies.”
The decree also asserts that Russia is committed to “making all necessary efforts to reduce the nuclear threat” and aims to prevent escalating tensions between states that could lead to “military conflicts, including nuclear ones.”
The updated guidelines were first unveiled by Putin in late September, at which point former President Dmitry Medvedev said the new policy should be considered a response to the “neo-Nazi” Ukrainian regime and its allies for “pushing the world towards a nuclear catastrophe.”
Medvedev was referring to Kyiv’s continual push for permission to use Western-supplied weaponry for long-range strikes inside Russian territory.
This permission has now been granted by President Joe Biden, U.S. officials told AP, Reuters and several other news agencies on Sunday. The president reportedly authorized the use of the U.S. Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) for this purpose, a move that a former Ukrainian defense minister told the Financial Times would allow Kyiv to “potentially disrupt Russian operations.”
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for further information on the new guidelines and to inquire whether the move was in response to Biden’s decision on long-range strikes.
According to the Telegram channel Baza, said to have links to Russia’s intelligence services, the large-scale launch of missiles against Russia—including those carried by ATACMS—would provide grounds for retaliatory action by Moscow under the new guidelines.
Actions “aimed at isolating part of the territory of the Russian Federation,” are also included as preconditions for a nuclear response, according to a translation of the document from Russian outlet RBC. As well as outlining the parameters for the use of nuclear weapons based on threats to its own territorial integrity, the updated guidelines would regard Belarus, a close ally of Russia, as protected by the country’s nuclear umbrella, with any attack on the country viewed as an attack against Moscow itself and meriting a response.
