Iran's Nuclear Program Escalation

Iran has significantly advanced its nuclear program, enriching uranium close to weapons-grade levels, indicating a severe shift in its nuclear capabilities since the original 2015 nuclear deal. The 2015 agreement aimed to limit Iran's uranium stockpile to 300 kilograms enriched at a low purity of 3.67 percent, but current estimates suggest Iran has amassed nearly 6,000 kilograms of enriched uranium. Analysts believe that if Iran decided to further enrich this uranium, it could produce a bomb's worth of highly enriched uranium in as little as two weeks, drastically shortening the previous breakout timeline of one year. This escalation poses an ongoing risk as Iran has managed to progress without facing the economic sanctions initially imposed by former President Trump.