Iran’s Nuclear Program Expansion Raises Concerns over Peaceful Intentions

Iran continues to expand its nuclear program

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran’s nuclear program is being expanded further. According to the US government, the report shows that the program has no credible peaceful purpose. Iran is continuing to expand its nuclear program, with plans to install additional cascades of uranium centrifuges in the uranium enrichment plants in Natanz and Fordo, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Lack of cooperation and diplomatic pressure

Last week, the IAEA criticized Tehran’s lack of willingness to cooperate for the first time since November 2022. The agency demands “technically credible explanations” from Tehran for the presence of uranium particles in two unintended locations. A resolution introduced by Germany, Great Britain, and France, aiming to increase diplomatic pressure on Iran, faced initial resistance from the USA and was labeled by Iran as “hasty and unreasonable.”

While Iran denies wanting to produce nuclear weapons, the IAEA notes that Iran is the only non-nuclear weapons state with uranium enriched to 60 percent and is amassing large uranium stocks, indicating a potential path towards enriching uranium to the 90 percent required for nuclear weapons. For context, nuclear power plants typically only require uranium enriched to 3.67 percent.

Concerns over Iran’s nuclear intentions

The US State Department expressed concern over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, stating that the recent report by the IAEA suggests that Iran’s nuclear program expansion lacks a credible peaceful purpose. The State Department emphasized the need for Iran to cooperate fully with the IAEA and fulfill its obligations promptly.

Deterioration in Tehran-IAEA cooperation

In recent years, cooperation between Tehran and the IAEA has deteriorated. Planned talks with Tehran were suspended following the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, leading diplomats to suspect that Tehran may be using delays as a tactic to prolong negotiations. The increasing expansion of Iran’s nuclear program and the lack of satisfactory cooperation with international agencies raise concerns about Iran’s nuclear intentions and the potential implications for regional and global security.