US Energy Sec: Iran Weeks from Weapons-Grade Uranium

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned lawmakers on May 13, 2026, that Iran stands only weeks away from enriching portions of its uranium stockpile to weapons-grade levels, heightening concerns over Tehran's nuclear program amid fragile diplomatic efforts to end regional hostilities.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington during a hearing on the Department of Energy's budget request, Wright described Iran's progress as perilously advanced. Iran possesses roughly 500 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, a level experts consider a significant technical milestone toward the 90 percent threshold required for weapons-grade material. "They are weeks, a small number of weeks away to enrich that to weapons-grade uranium," Wright stated. "There's still a weaponization process that happens after that, but they're pretty close." He noted that reaching 60 percent enrichment represents the bulk of the technical challenge, placing Iran "way more than 90 percent of the way there" for the necessary enrichment steps.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut pressed Wright on the stockpile during the exchange, and both agreed on the short...