Here's A Primer On Uranium Enrichment, As Iran's Nuclear Program Faces Scrutiny

When nan U.S. and Israel launched nan warfare against Iran connected Feb. 28, President Trump said 1 of nan main objectives was to forestall Iran from building a atomic weapon.

That has put a attraction connected Iran’s stockpile of uranium and its programme to person this people occurring constituent into worldly that tin prolong a atomic guidance — a process called enrichment. Several cardinal atomic sites successful Iran were attacked by nan U.S. and Israel past summer, and again during nan latest war.

Iran’s leaders insist nan country’s atomic programme is only for serene purposes. Before nan warfare began, it had a stockpile of enriched uranium that was a short, method measurement from weapons-grade material, according to nan International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran had an organized atomic weapons programme up until 2003, nan U.N. agency and Western nations say.

Here’s a deeper look astatine uranium enrichment and Iran’s atomic program.

What is uranium enrichment?

Uranium, for illustration different elements, is recovered successful somewhat different configurations. One, called U-235, is champion astatine powering atomic reactions. It is little unchangeable than nan much communal form, which intends it’s easier to divided to merchandise nan power needed for producing energy aliases a weapon. But U-235 makes up little than 1% of nan uranium recovered successful nature.

To isolate nan much desirable U-235, scientists portion distant its much unchangeable cousin, U-238, done a process known arsenic enrichment.

How is uranium enriched?

The astir communal measurement to enrich uranium is by spinning uranium state successful a centrifuge, wherever lighter U-235 separates from nan heavier U-238. This is done successful stages, utilizing aggregate centrifuges that enrich nan uranium spot by bit.

The early stages are particularly labor-intensive because location is truthful overmuch much U-238 to portion away, said atomic information master Sébastien Philippe astatine nan University of Wisconsin-Madison. Over time, nan enrichment process gets easier.

The process tin return anyplace from days to months to years, depending connected nan size of nan enrichment plant, nan exertion being utilized and really acold nan uranium is being enriched.

Different uranium enrichment levels are required for different purposes

For a atomic reactor that makes electricity, uranium is typically enriched up to 5%. Nuclear reactors utilized for subject experiments tally connected uranium enriched up to 20%.

Anything enriched to 20% and supra is considered “highly enriched” uranium and supra 90% is considered weapons-grade, though immoderate very highly enriched uranium tin beryllium utilized for investigation and aesculapian purposes, according to nan Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.

How overmuch enriched uranium does Iran have?

Iran is thought to person 972 pounds of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, according to nan IAEA.

A crude atomic limb could beryllium made pinch uranium astatine that enrichment level, Philippe said, and it’s comparatively easy to enrich it to nan 90% level needed to make a explosive ray capable to beryllium carried by a missile.

Iran’s stockpile could let Iran to build arsenic galore arsenic 10 atomic bombs, should it determine to weaponize its program, IAEA head wide Rafael Grossi told nan AP past year. He added that it doesn’t mean that Iran has specified a weapon.

What happens aft uranium is enriched?

Once enriched, uranium state undergoes immoderate last processing and past is converted backmost into a solid, pressed into pellets and stacked into a sealed metallic substance rod that goes into a atomic reactor.

It tin besides beryllium converted to shape nan halfway of a atomic weapon. The process of weaponization is highly analyzable and involves respective engineering challenges, among them miniaturizing nan atomic warhead to make it mini and ray capable to beryllium carried by a missile.

How is uranium regulated?

Over 100 countries including nan U.S. and Iran person signed nan Treaty connected nan Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which primitively went into effect successful 1970 and has been periodically updated. As portion of nan agreement, countries without atomic weapons work together to usage atomic worldly for serene purposes and countries that person atomic weapons work together to a process of disarmament. The pact involves regular onsite inspections by nan IAEA to corroborate that countries are complying pinch nan treaty’s terms.

Iran was recovered to beryllium retired of compliance successful nan early 2000s owed to a concealed atomic weapons program. It was successful noncompliance again successful June 2025 owed to its nonaccomplishment to supply “technically credible” explanations to nan IAEA astir nan root of uranium particles recovered by inspectors astatine respective undeclared locations successful Iran.

What is nan existent position of Iran’s enrichment program?

Tehran has not allowed nan IAEA entree to its atomic accommodation bombed by Israel and nan United States during a 12-day warfare successful June 2025, according to a confidential IAEA study circulated to personnel states and seen by AP successful February.

The study stressed that it “cannot verify whether Iran has suspended each enrichment-related activities,” aliases nan “size of Iran’s uranium stockpile astatine nan affected atomic facilities.”

Ramakrishnan writes for nan Associated Press. Stephanie Liechtenstein successful Vienna contributed to this story.