ALBAWABA- Iran has warned it could consider enriching uranium to 90 percent purity, the level typically associated with weapons-grade material, if it comes under further military attack, escalating tensions amid an already fragile regional ceasefire.
Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said parliament would review the option in the event of renewed strikes. “One of Iran’s options in the event of another attack could be 90 percent enrichment,” he wrote on social media platform X.
The remarks come as US President Donald Trump described the US-Iran ceasefire, brokered in early April with Pakistani mediation, as being on “massive life support” after rejecting Tehran’s latest peace proposal.
Iran currently enriches uranium up to 60 percent and is believed to hold a stockpile of roughly 440 kilograms, according to estimates from the International Atomic Energy Agency before mid-2025 strikes.
Advancing from 60 to 90 percent enrichment requires significantly less additional technical effort and could be achieved relatively quickly, depending on centrifuge capacity, a threshold widely regarded as sufficient for weapons-grade material.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is intended for peaceful purposes, including energy production and medical research, and denies any intention to develop nuclear weapons. However, officials have increasingly signalled that enrichment expansion remains a key leverage point in response to external pressure, sanctions, and military action.
The warning comes amid stalled indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington, with core disputes centred on Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, sanctions relief, security guarantees, and maritime access through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials continue to insist that uranium enrichment is a sovereign right that will not be relinquished.
The latest statement appears to be aimed at deterring further strikes by the United States or Israel while increasing pressure on the negotiating parties. A move toward 90 percent enrichment would significantly reduce Iran’s breakout time for potential nuclear weapon development, further heightening regional and international concern.
