UN in crisis as Iran gets closer to developing a nuclear bomb

In a move poised to further raise global tensions, the UN announced on February 26 that Iran has dramatically advanced its efforts to obtain weapons-grade uranium.

As reported by The Arab Weekly, Iran has refined its uranium stock to nearly “60% percent fissile purity”, primarily in the form of uranium hexafluoride.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), if Iran continues at this rate, it will have enough enriched material for at least six nuclear bombs.

This development has alarmed Western nations, who argue that no peaceful nuclear program requires such a large quantity of highly enriched uranium- unless the intent is to build a weapon. Iran, however, officially denies these claims. 

Beyond enrichment concerns, the IAEA has also raised alarms about the safeguarding and locations of Iran’s nuclear materials. 

While Iran insists that it has declared all its nuclear stockpiles, both the UN and IAEA dispute this claim.

This is significant because ,while Iran’s current stockpile may still be too small to produce a full-scale nuclear weapon, it could still be used to manufacture smaller nuclear devices or “dirty bombs”

With Iran failing to provide full transparency, the risk of terrorist groups gaining access to nuclear material has become a major concern. 

While the UN seems paralyzed by this issue, the United States and its allies have already taken steps to counter Iran’s nuclear advancements. 

US president Donald Trump, who famously withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, has announced new sanctions targeting Iran’s nuclear program.

According to Maghrebi, Trump signed a memorandum on February 24, specifically designed to target Iran’s nuclear weapons development while imposing “maximum economic pressure”.

However, without a formal agreement like the 2015 nuclear deal, there is little hope of preventing Iran from eventually producing a nuclear weapon.

What this means for regional stability remains unclear, but what is certain is that the risk of a nuclear crisis involving Iran or its proxies has never been higher.

The Arab Weekly, Maghrebi