Iran continues to push toward having the capability of a nuclear bomb, regardless of whether they are willing to admit it or not. Iran's stock of uranium enriched to near weapons grade has grown sharply since it announced a dramatic acceleration in December and there has been no progress on resolving outstanding issues, two reports by the UN nuclear watchdog showed. The stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% fissile purity, close to the roughly 90% of bomb-grade, has been a long-standing concern for Western powers, which say there is no civil justification for enriching uranium to such a high level. Iran says it seeks only peaceful nuclear energy. While US President Donald Trump's administration has said it plans to pressure Iran over its nuclear program, the International Atomic Energy Agency has said time is running out for diplomacy to impose new restrictions on Iran's activities. If Iran is able to get a nuclear bomb, it will dramatically change the negotiating abilities throughout the Middle East, as other nations will no longer be able to simply push Iran to negotiate once they are a nuclear power.
Two quarterly reports sent by the IAEA to member states showed that while the stock of 60% material has grown by around half, there has been no real progress on resolving long-running outstanding issues with Iran including the unexplained presence of uranium traces found at undeclared sites. "The significantly increased production and accumulation of high enriched uranium by Iran, the only non-nuclear weapon state to produce such nuclear material, is of serious concern," the IAEA said in a passage that, unusually, was included in both reports.
The stock of uranium refined to up to 60% in the form of uranium hexafluoride grew by 92.5 kg in the past quarter to 274.8 kg, one of two confidential IAEA reports said. That is enough in principle, if enriched further, for six nuclear bombs, according to an IAEA yardstick. There is enough for more weapons at lower enrichment levels. When one combines these types of uranium and nuclear warhead type developments with Iran’s increases in things like ballistic missiles and drones, it could lead to serious problems in the Middle East in the future.
One of the reports also spelled out the lack of progress on the outstanding issues such as explaining the uranium traces, which the IAEA has been asking the Islamic Republic to do for years. "Iran states that it has declared all of the nuclear material, activities and locations required under its Safeguards Agreement. This is inconsistent with the Agency's assessments of the unexplained nuclear-related activities that took place at all four of the undeclared locations in Iran referred to above," the report said. "The Agency is, therefore, at an impasse with regard to resolving these outstanding safeguards issues."
Biblical Connection: Iran’s continual push toward nuclear bombs plays a significant role in Biblical prophecy. First, Iran’s ability to get nuclear weapons could embolden them in their desire to destroy Israel. If they have the ability to launch nuclear attacks, it will be much harder for other nations, like the United States or Europe, to get them to back down if they truly want to attack Israel, like the Gog Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39. Second, the increase of nuclear weapons as a whole, not just with Iran but globally, could have lasting impact into the future Tribulation. Many see some of the judgments in the Tribulation as potential nuclear war and the fallout that would occur after.
PRAY: Pray that this push by Iran to become a nuclear power will be stopped and that the push for more and more nuclear weapons globally will end.