Strengthening the NPT via nuclear weapons-free zone

Israeli forces struck Iranian nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow on June 13 aiming to obliterate Iran’s enrichment centrifuges and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU). According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran had enriched its uranium to 60 percent purity, well above the 20 percent threshold needed for some nuclear weapons. Had it been allowed to proceed, it was only a matter of time before Iran would have attained 90 percent pure weapons-grade uranium. However, possessing weapons-grade uranium does not necessarily mean that Iran is making a bomb. Iran has insisted that its nuclear program remains peaceful and the IAEA has found no evidence of Iran embarking on a formal nuclear weapons program. At the same time, Iran had breached its safeguards compliance by enriching uranium above the 20 percent threshold level and failed to convince the IAEA of the purpose of its HEU stockpile. It is true Iran operates a civilian nuclear power plant (NPP) at Bushehr, with fuel supplied from Russia. Even if Iran wished to be self-sufficient for fuel producWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times