VIENNA, June 13 (Alliance News): Just days before Israeli strikes targeted Iran’s key nuclear facilities, Washington and Tehran had held several rounds of indirect talks over Iran’s expanding nuclear programme, amid rising global concern over its rapid advancement.
The renewed diplomatic efforts reflect fears that Iran is edging closer to weapons-grade uranium levels, despite its repeated denial of pursuing nuclear weapons.
Iran’s nuclear programme has significantly accelerated in recent years, particularly after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018.
The deal, signed between Iran and world powers, was aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief.
However, since the collapse of the agreement, Iran has gradually scaled up its enrichment activities far beyond the limits set by the accord.
According to the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as of mid-May, Iran’s total stockpile of enriched uranium stood at 9,247.6 kilograms — more than 45 times the amount permitted under the 2015 deal.
Of particular concern is the estimated 408.6 kilograms enriched to up to 60 percent, a level that is just below the 90 percent threshold required for nuclear weapons.
The IAEA has assessed that this quantity, if further enriched, is theoretically sufficient to produce around 10 nuclear warheads.
Despite international concerns, Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and aimed at energy production and medical research.
Iran’s nuclear infrastructure includes several sensitive and closely monitored sites. Among them is the Natanz enrichment facility, located about 250 kilometres south of Tehran.
Natanz, a heavily fortified site, has been at the centre of Iran’s uranium enrichment efforts. It operates nearly 70 cascades of centrifuges in both aboveground and underground sections. In April 2021, it suffered a sabotage attack, which Iran blamed on Israel.
On Friday, Israeli forces reportedly targeted Natanz again, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating the strike hit the “heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme.” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi confirmed that Natanz was among the sites affected.
Another significant site is Fordo, an underground enrichment facility secretly constructed near the city of Qom and revealed in 2009. Initially designed as an emergency site, Fordo can house around 3,000 centrifuges.
In 2023, uranium enriched to 83.7 percent was detected at the facility — a development Iran attributed to “unintended fluctuations” during the enrichment process.
The Isfahan complex in central Iran plays a vital role in uranium conversion, transforming raw uranium into feed gas for centrifuges.
It also houses a nuclear fuel fabrication plant inaugurated in 2009. In 2022, Iran announced plans to build a new research reactor at the same location.
The Arak heavy-water reactor, located near the village of Khondab, was halted under the 2015 agreement but is now planned for commissioning by 2026.
Although Iran states the reactor is intended for medical research, it has the potential to produce weapons-grade plutonium.
In the capital, the Tehran nuclear research centre operates a small reactor supplied by the United States in 1967 for producing medical isotopes.
Iran’s only commercial nuclear power plant is located in the southern city of Bushehr. Originally started by a German company and completed by Russia, the plant began operating in 2011 and remains under IAEA supervision, with Russia continuing to supply its fuel.
In addition, Iran has begun constructing new facilities in Darkhovin and Sirik. The Darkhovin project, launched in late 2022, involves a 300-megawatt plant, while the Sirik complex, located near the Strait of Hormuz, will include four reactors with a combined capacity of 5,000 megawatts, with work starting in early 2024.
As diplomatic tensions rise and inspections continue, the international community is closely watching Tehran’s next moves, especially in the aftermath of the Israeli airstrikes and amid ongoing U.S.-Iran discussions on nuclear limits.
