Iran just shy of a nuclear bomb, enriched uranium at 84% purity: IAEA

The development comes as Iran is increasingly isolated from the West and nuclear talks with world powers remain suspended

International atomic monitors in Iran last week detected uranium enriched to levels just below that needed for a nuclear weapon, according to two senior diplomats, underscoring the risk that the country’s unrestrained atomic activities could prompt a new crisis.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is trying to clarify how Iran accumulated uranium enriched to 84 per cent purity — the highest level found by inspectors in the country to date, and a concentration just 6 per cent below what’s needed for a weapon. Iran had previously told the IAEA that its centrifuges were configured to enrich uranium to a 60