Our Publications
Articles and Reports
September 21, 2023
How quickly could Iran get enough fissile material for a small nuclear arsenal? This timetable estimates how quickly Iran could amass enough weapons-grade uranium for five bombs. Once it has the enriched uranium, however, it could take at least several months to turn it into a working weapon.
Weapon Program Background Report
September 18, 2023
Iran possesses thousands of gas centrifuges that are the mainstay of its nuclear program. Gas centrifuges spin uranium hexafluoride gas (UF6) to separate uranium isotopes suitable for nuclear fuel, a process known as uranium enrichment.[1] The number and capacity of these machines determine Iran’s "breakout" time:
Newsletters
August 30, 2023
This month's newsletter features an update to a table that details Iran's missile arsenal, the largest in the Middle East. Since the last update, Iran has unveiled the solid-fueled "hypersonic" Fattah missile as well as a new variant of the liquid-fueled Khorramshahr, Tehran's longest-ranged missile.
Weapon Program Background Report
August 24, 2023
Iran’s missile arsenal is the largest in the Middle East. This table sets forth what is publicly known, claimed, or estimated about the capabilities of Iran's missiles that are most likely to be used either as nuclear-weapon delivery vehicles or for conventional strikes against high-payoff targets, such as bases or infrastructure.
Newsletters
July 26, 2023
This month’s newsletter features a look at a recent U.S. indictment of Chinese national Xiangjiang Qiao. Qiao is an associate of Li Fang Wei (Karl Lee), a major supplier of critical components to Iran’s missile program from 2006 until at least 2014.
International Enforcement Actions
July 25, 2023
Rumor has it that the notorious proliferator Karl Lee may be in prison, but open-source evidence suggests that his network is still active.
Newsletters
June 27, 2023
This month’s newsletter features an analysis of recent trends in U.S. and EU sanctions against Iran. Whereas in the past these sanctions have focused heavily on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, over the past two years the focus has shifted dramatically toward targeting human rights violators and drone-related entities.
Articles and Reports
June 26, 2023
In the past, U.S. and European sanctions against Iran have focused heavily on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. But over the last two years, that focus appears to have shifted.
Newsletters
May 25, 2023
This month's newsletter features a new episode of Iran Watch Listen, a podcast by the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control. We sat down with Dr. Bruce Goodwin to discuss the process of building nuclear weapons from a technical perspective, and explored the experience Iran has with some of the key steps of the weaponization process.
Interviews and Podcasts
May 17, 2023
Once Iran has the fuel, what else would it need to build a nuclear weapon? To find out, we spoke to Dr. Bruce Goodwin, an expert on nuclear weapons design and testing.