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Iran’s Conversion of Uranium Hexafluoride to Uranium Metal Not a Bottleneck to an Iranian Nuclear Weapon

 As I have previously written, Iran’s sizable stockpile of 60% enriched
uranium has very likely survived both Israeli and American bombing
attacks.

Even if only a very small fraction of Iran’s centrifuge
enrichment capacity has survived, Iran will be able to produce the 90%
enriched uranium desired for nuclear weapons in less than a month once
electric power is restored to the enrichment centrifuges. Iran’s ability
to produce 90% enriched uranium means that these bombing attacks have not
eliminated the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon.

However, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has argued that even if that is the case, the bombing destroyed Iran’s facility in Esfahan that would convert the uranium
hexafluoride used in the enrichment process into uranium metal which is the
form used in nuclear weapons.

Rubio has claimed that the Iranian nuclear
program has been set back by “years.” However, the conversion process
from hexafluoride to metal is fairly simple. Due to criticality concerns,
Iran could only process small batches of around four kilograms of 90%
enriched uranium at a time. Therefore, the conversion facility would use
only laboratory scale equipment.

Even if Iran needed to start from scratch
to build a new metal production facility, Iran can have this facility ready
by the time it has restored its enrichment capacity and produced 90%
enriched uranium.

 NPEC 30th June 2025, https://nebula.wsimg.com/5cb30d7e699d6da2b9f43d95c7bea48c?AccessKeyId=40C80D0B51471CD86975&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

July 4, 2025 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, Uranium