US demands Iran dismantle entire uranium enrichment program

Months after US and Israeli airstrikes damaged nuclear facilities across Iran, Trump administration insists Tehran “completely dismantle” its entire uranium enrichment program.

By World Israel News Staff

The Trump administration is demanding that Iran not only cease all efforts to acquire nuclear weapons but also dismantle its entire uranium- and plutonium-processing capabilities.

On Monday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright addressed an annual gathering of the United Nations’ atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, insisting Iran’s uranium enrichment program be “completely dismantled.”

Addressing hundreds of nuclear energy officials from around the world at the IAEA General Conference, Wright said that Iran must commit to ending all uranium enrichment efforts and to scrapping its existing capabilities.

“If it wasn’t already clear enough, I will restate the United States’ position on Iran,” Wright said. “Iran’s nuclear weapons pathway, including all enrichment and reprocessing capabilities, must be completely dismantled,” Wright continued, referencing the processing of both uranium and plutonium.

Wright said the Trump administration is still optimistic Iran will return to the negotiating table, noting that a deal that included the scrapping of Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity would include comprehensive sanctions relief.

“We hope dialogues restart and we hope they’re successful. I think there’s a reasonable chance they will be.”

“Rejoining the community of trading nations, removal of sanctions. It would be a home run for the Iranian people, and we’ve talked about other things as well, so there’s plenty of carrots for Iran to abandon their nuclear weapons program.”

The US and Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities in June, likely severely damaging Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity, though the full extent of the damage remains unclear.

In addition, the fate of Iran’s roughly 972 pounds of enriched uranium, purified to 60%, is unknown.

While the IAEA has said it has no credible information on a coordinated effort by Iran to produce nuclear weapons, the agency has expressed alarm at Iran’s stockpiling of large quantities of uranium purified well above the 3% to 5% level typically used in civilian energy production, or even the 20% sometimes used for research purposes.

According to the IAEA’s estimates, Iran’s 972 pounds of 60% purity uranium would yield enough fissile material for roughly 10 atomic bombs, if enrichment were continued to the 90% level needed for military use.