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Washington — President Trump is pressuring Iran to either curtail its atomic programme oregon look imaginable subject strikes, grappling with an contented that has vexed presidents from some parties for decades.
Iran — which denies immoderate atomic weapons ambitions — has amassed a stockpile of uranium that is enriched to adjacent the level of purity indispensable to physique a bomb. Mr. Trump ordered strikes connected a trio of cardinal Iranian atomic sites past June, leaving the presumption of the stockpile unclear, but now, little than a twelvemonth later, the president has suggested subject enactment is connected the array again.
"My penchant is to lick this occupation done diplomacy, but 1 happening is certain: I volition ne'er let the world's fig 1 sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to person a atomic weapon," the president said during his State of the Union address. "Can't fto that happen."
The United States and Iran have engaged successful respective rounds of indirect negotiations successful caller weeks, arsenic a fleet of U.S. naval vessels and subject craft arrived successful the Middle East. Mr. Trump told reporters connected Feb. 27 that helium hasn't decided whether to onslaught yet, but he's "not happy" with the gait of negotiations. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, however, told CBS News that a "peace woody is wrong our reach," saying the U.S. and Iran had made "substantial progress" successful the Oman-mediated talks.
Here are immoderate details connected Iran's atomic program:
How adjacent is Iran to making a atomic weapon, and is it gathering 1 close now?
In caller years, Iran has rapidly accrued its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. As of mid-June 2025, soon earlier the U.S.'s strikes, Iran had enriched immoderate 972 pounds of uranium up to 60% purity, according to estimates from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
By comparison, Iran had 605.8 pounds of 60%-enriched uranium successful February 2025, and 267.9 pounds a twelvemonth earlier that, the IAEA has said. According to the U.N. watchdog's metrics, astir 92.5 pounds of 60%-enriched uranium is capable to physique a azygous atomic limb if enriched further.
That worldly is conscionable a short step distant from weapons-grade 90%-enriched uranium.
The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency estimated past May that it would instrumentality Iran "probably little than 1 week" to nutrient capable weapons-grade uranium to marque its archetypal bomb, if it decided to bash so. Actually gathering a weaponry could instrumentality somewhat longer: Another quality summary from past twelvemonth found that Iran could marque a atomic instrumentality wrong 3 to 8 months unless it faced method oregon logistical delays, CBS News has antecedently reported.
What's not clear, however, is whether Iran has made the determination to physique a atomic weapon. Iran is believed to person halted its atomic weapons program successful 2003, and the U.S. quality assemblage assessed past spring that the programme hadn't restarted.
"Iran astir surely is not producing atomic weapons, but Iran has undertaken activities successful caller years that amended presumption it to nutrient them, if it chooses to bash so," the DIA said successful May.
Asked connected Feb. 18 whether the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency had seen immoderate denotation that Iran mightiness presently beryllium moving to make a atomic weapon, the agency's director-general Rafael Grossi told a French tv web it had not.
"No," helium told TF1, adding: "On the contrary, I see, today, a willingness connected some sides to scope an agreement," referring to the U.S. and Iran.
Iran, for its part, has agelong insisted that its atomic programme is wholly peaceful, and that it does not intend to make a atomic weapon.
Iran's stockpile includes uranium enriched acold beyond the level needed for astir non-military uses similar atomic powerfulness oregon aesculapian applications. The IAEA said successful May that Iran is present "the lone non-nuclear-weapon State to nutrient specified atomic material."
What interaction did the past U.S. strikes connected Iran have?
Last June's airstrikes targeted Iran's Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities and a probe tract adjacent the metropolis of Isfahan. It's not wide however overmuch the strikes damaged Iran's atomic program.
Mr. Trump has agelong said the strikes "obliterated" the 3 atomic sites, setting backmost the program by "basically decades."
The IAEA's Grossi told CBS News successful June that the strikes caused "severe damage" but not "total damage."
In his interrogation with the French web successful February, Grossi said Iran's atomic worldly was "still there, successful ample quantities," contempt the U.S. strikes, though "some of it whitethorn beryllium little accessible."
Iran besides is not presently enriching uranium, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters connected Feb. 25, though helium alleged that "they're trying to get to the constituent wherever they yet can."
Satellite images from precocious January amusement roofs built implicit damaged buildings astatine the Natanz and Isfahan sites, perchance indicating efforts by Iran to salvage immoderate remaining materials.
A confidential report issued by the IAEA assessed that Iran is conducting unexplained enactment astatine atomic sites that were bombed by the U.S., CBS News has confirmed.
The IAEA says it withdrew its inspectors from Iran for information reasons soon aft the June strikes, and Iran moved to suspend practice with the bureau the pursuing month. The bureau said successful November that it had been capable to behaviour immoderate inspections successful the months pursuing the attacks, but not astatine immoderate of the sites that were struck by U.S. forces.
Iran downplayed the strikes, arguing they didn't destruct its technological capabilities.
"Yes, you destroyed the facilities, the machines," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox News successful January. "But the exertion cannot beryllium bombed, and the determination besides cannot beryllium bombed."
What's the past of Iran's atomic program?
Iran's atomic programme dates backmost decades, with some aboriginal probe activity taking spot nether the U.S.-allied authorities that controlled the state earlier the 1979 Islamic Revolution. By the mid-1980s, Iran started processing — oregon acquiring connected the achromatic market — the exertion required to physique centrifuges that tin enrich uranium, according to the IAEA.
The country's ambitions drew aggravated planetary unit starting successful 2002, erstwhile an anti-regime radical alleged that Iran had secretly built a brace of atomic facilities. Former President George W. Bush's medication later alleged that Iran was moving to make missiles susceptible of carrying atomic weapons.
The IAEA has said that until 2003, Iran had a "structured program" to transportation retired "activities that are applicable to the improvement of a atomic explosive device." The bureau added that immoderate of those activities person subject and non-military uses, but immoderate "are circumstantial to atomic weapons."
While the U.S. quality appraisal was that Iran stopped trying to make atomic weapons successful 2003, the state resumed enriching uranium astatine assorted points aft that. As a result, it had faced years of progressively choky sanctions.
In 2015, then-President Barack Obama's medication struck a woody with Iran and different planetary powers to bounds the country's uranium stockpiles and enrichment capableness for a acceptable play of time, and to taxable Iran's atomic programme to IAEA monitoring, successful speech for sanctions relief. The statement was known arsenic the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, oregon JCPOA.
Three years later, Mr. Trump withdrew the U.S. unilaterally from that deal, which helium argued was insufficient. He imposed a caller circular of harsh sanctions, dubbing it a "maximum pressure" run to unit Iran to negociate a caller agreement. Efforts by the Biden medication and European parties to the JCPOA to revive the deal were unsuccessful.
Since then, Iran has stopped abiding by the presumption of that agreement, dramatically ramping up its uranium enrichment program, including by enriching uranium to 60% purity for the archetypal time.
At times, Mr. Trump has pushed Iran to springiness up uranium enrichment altogether, alternatively than conscionable sticking to little levels of enrichment successful bid to enactment a civilian atomic program.
"They privation to enrich a small bit. You don't person to enrich erstwhile you person that overmuch oil," the president said connected Feb. 27. "I say, nary enrichment."
Araghchi has ruled retired that idea, describing the enrichment programme arsenic a "matter of dignity and pride."
"We person each close to bask a peaceful atomic energy, including enrichment," helium told CBS News successful a Feb. 22 interview. "As a sovereign country, we person each close to determine for ourselves, by ourselves. We person developed this exertion by ourselves, by our scientists, and it's precise beloved to us, due to the fact that we person paid a lot."
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