Iran breaks second nuclear deal limit

Iran has broken another limit of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers by announcing plans to enrich uranium beyond permitted levels


Jul 7, 2019: Iran says it will begin enriching uranium to 5 percent – level required to fuel Bushehr nuclear power plant (above). Nuclear deal sets cap for uranium enrichment at 3.67 percent purity

Jul 1: Iran says it has exceeded limit for its stockpile of 3.67 percent-enriched uranium. Nuclear deal limits Iran’s stockpile to 300kg of uranium hexafluoride, equal to 202.8kg of enriched uranium


HOW URANIUM ENRICHMENT WORKS
Before uranium can be used to make nuclear fuel or weapons, it must be enriched by boosting its concentration of uranium isotope 235 (U-235)

Mined uranium
Typically has about 140 atoms of unwanted uranium isotope 238 (U-238) for every one atom of U-235

3.67% purity
Iran allowed to enrich uranium to this level – by removing 114 U-238 atoms for every atom of U-235

5% purity
Iran says it will enrich uranium to this level – requiring seven more atoms of U-238 to be
removed

20% purity
15 more U-238 atoms removed. Only four more atoms then need removing for “weapons grade” (90% purity)


Sources: Associated Press, Politico 
Picture: Associated Press 
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