Explainer: The status of Iran's uranium enrichment programme - Reuters

Iran’s nuclear programme continues to enrich uranium at several sites, with the most advanced facilities located at Natanz and Fordow. According to recent assessments, the country now operates thousands of centrifuges capable of producing uranium enriched to 60 percent, a level far above the 3.67 percent limit set by the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The enrichment capacity has expanded since the United States withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, and Iran has also begun work on a new enrichment plant at Natanz.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports that Iran holds several hundred kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, alongside larger quantities of lower‑enriched material. The stockpile of 60 percent uranium is estimated at roughly 3,000–4,000 kg, enough to produce a significant amount of weapons‑grade material if further enriched. In addition, Iran maintains a separate stock of uranium enriched to 20 percent, the level it previously pledged to keep under the JCPOA.

U.S. officials have reiterated that a “meaningful” reduction in Iran’s enrichment capacity is required to meet American demands and to bring an end to the seven‑month conflict that has escalated in the region. Vice President JD Vance told Reuters that Iran must curtail both the number of operating centrifuges and the amount of high‑enriched uranium it possesses in order to satisfy the United States’ conditions for any future diplomatic settlement.

Iran, for its part, maintains that its nuclear activities are solely for peaceful purposes and that it will continue enrichment as long as it deems necessary for national security. Tehran has indicated a willingness to negotiate but has not committed to a specific timeline for reducing its enrichment levels or dismantling centrifuges, pending assurances that any agreement would address its broader strategic concerns.

All three reports concur on the technical details of Iran’s enrichment programme and the United States’ demand for a substantial cut‑back. No major discrepancies were identified among the sources regarding the current enrichment levels, stockpiles, or the diplomatic positions of the parties involved.