ALBAWABA - International inspectors said that Iran currently owns approximately 11 tons of uranium at various enrichment levels, an amount that, with further enrichment, could be sufficient to produce up to 100 nuclear bombs, according to The New York Times.
Experts explained that Iran's uranium amount exceeds estimates of the size of Israel's nuclear arsenal.
According to data, Tehran reached this stockpile of uranium after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement reached under Barack Obama.
Tehran had previously committed to shipping about 12.5 tons of its stockpile to Russia, representing about 97 percent of its total reserves at the time. This left Iran's weapons designers without enough material to produce even a single nuclear bomb.
Today, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have clear evidence: Iran possesses 11 tons of uranium enriched to varying levels. This quantity, after further enrichment, is sufficient to produce up to 100 nuclear weapons.
Expert Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists estimates it is enough for 35-55 weapons, while other experts suggest it could be used for 50-100 bombs if further enriched.
Trump seeks to eliminate Iran's massive nuclear stockpile, a problem he himself helped create when he withdrew from the agreement in 2018, calling it "the worst deal ever" and a "terrible, one-sided deal," despite objections from his top security advisors.
In this handout photo released by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) on November 10, 2025, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (L) is accompanied by AEOI chief Mohammad Eslami during a visit to a facility in Tehran. (Photo by Atomic Energy Organization of Iran / AFP)
The Obama-era agreement was set to expire in 2030, giving Iran complete freedom to produce nuclear fuel. However, it capped uranium enrichment at 3.67 percent and limited Iran’s stockpile to approximately 660 pounds.
After Trump withdrew and reimposed sanctions, Iran abandoned all these restrictions and began gradually increasing its uranium enrichment level, from 20 percent in 2021 to 60 percent following a mysterious explosion at Natanz, The New York Times further added.
