Concerns are growing that international focus on uranium enrichment may overlook plutonium dangers.
By World Israel News Staff
Numerous nuclear experts are expressing serious concern over the presence of plutonium at nuclear sites in Iran, warning the Trump administration that the Islamic Republic could use the material to develop nuclear weapons and that any potential agreement to end the war must include provisions addressing the removal or monitoring of plutonium.
Most nuclear weapons are developed using enriched uranium, which has long been a central point of contention between Iran and the West. Tehran has repeatedly enriched uranium to levels that experts say could potentially be used in an atomic bomb.
However, experts note that plutonium can also be used to create a nuclear weapon. With so much international attention focused on Iran’s uranium stockpile, analysts argue that plutonium must receive a similar level of scrutiny.
Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center and a former deputy for nonproliferation policy at the U.S. Department of Defense, warned last month that Iran could “remove Bushehr’s spent fuel and strip out the plutonium.”
Writing in an article published by RealClearDefense, Sokolski argued that Washington must closely monitor Iran to ensure that spent fuel from the Bushehr nuclear facility is not removed and repurposed for weapons development. He suggested that drones or satellite surveillance could be used to track activity at the site.
“Any ‘peace’ deal President Trump cuts with Tehran should include a requirement that there be near-real-time monitoring of the Bushehr reactor and spent fuel pond, much as the IAEA had in place with Iran’s fuel enrichment activities,” Sokolski stressed.
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), also argued that plutonium must be addressed in any future diplomatic agreement aimed at ending the conflict.
“I do believe any proposed deal with Iran needs to address the plutonium pathway to nuclear weapons. Israel struck the Arak heavy water reactor twice over the last year — in June 2025 and in March 2026,” Brodsky told Fox News Digital.
“Intelligence suggested Iran had repeatedly attempted to reconstruct the facility even after the bombing, so any deal with Iran should cover the plutonium pathway,” he added.
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