Szilard Advisory Board member Richard Nephew spoke with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty about what Iran’s latest uranium enrichment numbers mean.
Richard Nephew, an expert with the Washington-based Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, told RFE/RL that setting a cap of 3.67 enrichment under the deal “was less significant than the idea of the lower the level of enrichment the better.”
“This amount is what is typically used for power reactor fuel,” said Nephew, an adjunct professor and senior research scholar at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. “So it was a convenient figure.”
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As for how much Iran might have reduced its breakout time with its latest measures, Nephew of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation said: “It will be iterative.”
“This specific step has not reduced breakout time at all really,” according to Nephew. “But, the more enriched uranium they get, the closer the breakout timeline becomes. At 1,200 kilograms of 3.67 percent with 5,000 centrifuges, they’re about 5-6 months away, perhaps less.” Read more
