After the US pulled out in 2018 Iran assured the world that it would comply with the deal working with the European signatories….a deal that would in any case have fully sunsetted by 2030. But its actions were different. Under Biden’s non existent leadership this happened
Near-weapons grade
- April 2021 – Iran enriches to 60%, its highest ever Experts consider this “near weapons-grade” because:
- Weapons-grade ? 90%
- Going from 60% ? 90% is relatively fast compared to earlier steps.
4) Current capability (important nuance)
- By the mid-2020s:
- Iran has stockpiles of 60% enriched uranium
- Experts assess it could reach weapons-grade in weeks or months if it chose to
…….
So by the time Trump took action Iran had the centrifuges to build many bombs and a rapidly increasing stock of near weapons grade uranium, that only has one purpose:
Most nuclear experts and institutions say:
- 60% enrichment is far beyond civilian needs
- Power reactors need:
- ~3–5%
- Research/medical reactors (like Tehran Research Reactor):
- ~20% max
?? Therefore:
- 60% is not required for energy, medicine, or research
- It “far exceeds what’s needed for peaceful purposes”
Some analyses go further:
- There is “no realistic use” for 60% material in Iran’s program
- It is essentially near-weapons-grade material
………..
If Iran was not going to be allowed a nuclear weapon, there was no choice but to act in 2025. Underlined by the missile test, which blew up another Iranian lie, that they never had missiles with a range to reach targets over a 1000 miles away, Underlined by their willingness to attack their ME neighbors. Underlined by their centrifuges and near weapons grade uranium stockpile.
You can debate on how long they would have waited to do this if the Obama deal wasn’t set aside by Trump. Not long I think, because the Obama deal started to sunset in 2025.But every action they have taken since then says for them it was a pause and there was still a strong desire to have a nuclear weapon.
But whatever one decides about that, the situation in 2025 was not really debatable…you either stop them enriching, or at some point these very devious people were going to have a bomb. A collection of nuclear weapons dispersed through the country, potentially under the control of radical splinter groups, a recipe for disaster.
There was only one decision, which is succeeding as today’s news indicates….but the job still has to be finished.