Israel: Iran's Progress in Uranium Enrichment to 90% Could Ignite the Region

The Israeli Defense Minister announced that Iran's progress in enriching uranium to 90% could ignite the region, adding that the Islamic Republic would not be satisfied with just one bomb. Associated Press noted that Yoav Gallant's remarks reflect international concerns in recent months regarding Tehran's uranium enrichment, which has come closer than ever to producing weapon-grade enriched uranium. Experts have stated that in this case, the Islamic Republic would have enough fuel to build 'several' nuclear bombs. The Israeli Defense Minister, speaking during a visit to Athens on Thursday, pointed out: 'So far, Iran has accumulated enriched uranium at 20% and 60% for five nuclear weapons.' He emphasized that 'progress in enrichment to 90% would be a grave mistake by Iran and could ignite the region.' The purity of enriched uranium for use in nuclear power plants is usually less than 20%, while 90% enrichment is considered a possibility for producing nuclear weapons. Israeli leadership argues that Iran can only be deterred from producing nuclear weapons through the threat of military action, while the United States is clearly in favor of reviving multilateral diplomatic efforts. The International Atomic Energy Agency announced in March of this year that it would resume inspections and camera monitoring at some of Iran's nuclear facilities following a report of discovering highly enriched uranium particles at an underground nuclear site of the Islamic Republic. A verbal war has erupted between the commander of the Islamic Republic's army and the chief of staff of the Israeli army regarding an attack on Iran. McCarthy in the Israeli parliament stated that the Islamic Republic is a source of violence and instability in the region. The commander of CENTCOM praised the combat readiness of the Israeli army, and the Israeli Defense Minister stated that their attacks on Iranian positions in Syria have doubled.