Fact check: What is Iran's official explanation for enriching to 60%?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, Iran's official explanation for enriching uranium to 60% is not explicitly documented in any of the sources examined. However, the available information reveals Iran's consistent public position regarding its nuclear program.

Iran maintains that its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful and insists it would never seek to develop or acquire nuclear weapons ^[1]. The country claims its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes ^[2]. This represents Iran's overarching official stance on all uranium enrichment activities, including the 60% enrichment level.

The sources confirm that Iran has been enriching uranium to 60% at the Fordow facility ^[3], with this level representing 99% of the effort needed to make weapons-grade uranium and far exceeding what is needed for peaceful reasons ^[4]. According to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, once a country reaches 60% enrichment, it's 90% of the way to being a threshold nuclear weapons state ^[5].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question seeks Iran's specific justification for 60% enrichment, but the sources reveal several critical contextual elements:

• Technical significance: The 60% enrichment level is particularly concerning because it requires minimal additional effort to reach weapons-grade levels of 90%+ ^{[4] [5]}
• International oversight concerns: IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has rejected claims that Tehran was on the verge of making atomic bombs ^[2], suggesting international monitoring agencies may have different assessments than some national governments
• Strategic implications: Iran reportedly claims to have smuggled almost all of the country's highly enriched uranium to a secret location before US strikes on its nuclear bases ^[6], indicating potential military applications despite official peaceful claims
• Recent military developments: The context includes recent US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites ^[2], suggesting escalating tensions over the enrichment program

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself does not contain misinformation, as it simply seeks factual information about Iran's official position. However, the absence of a specific official explanation for 60% enrichment in available sources suggests either:

• Iran has not provided detailed public justification for this specific enrichment level
• The explanation exists but was not captured in the analyzed sources
• Iran's general "peaceful purposes" claim is considered sufficient official explanation for all enrichment activities

The sources indicate a significant gap between Iran's stated peaceful intentions and the technical reality that 60% enrichment serves no practical civilian purpose while bringing the country very close to weapons-grade capability ^[4]. This discrepancy raises questions about the credibility of Iran's official explanations, though the sources do not provide Iran's specific rationale for choosing the 60% threshold.