2024-08-30
25 分钟The IAEA says Tehran now has almost enough of the uranium material to make four nuclear bombs if enriched further. Also: Ukraine F-16 fighter jet crashes just weeks after it was donated by NATO allies.
This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service.
I'm Nick Miles and in the early hours of Friday the 30 August, these are our main stories.
The United nations nuclear watchdog says Iran is now close to having enough weapons grade uranium for four atomic bombs.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a series of pauses in fighting to allow hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza to be vaccinated against polio.
Also in this podcast, we go on a voyage of discovery on a riverbed.
I love finding keys because you instantly think, what did that unlock?
This is a medieval key.
It's got this beautiful, beautiful pattern.
This is a little bell.
No wonder mudlarking, an activity involving the scavenging of the banks and shores of rivers for items of value is becoming too popular for its own good.
A key reason why the current instability in the Middle east is so concerning is the prospect of Iran becoming a nuclear power.
It has been six years since the United States pulled out of a deal that reduced sanctions on Tehran in exchange for Iran agreeing to international nuclear monitors.
Visiting key sites earlier this week, Irans supreme leader said he was not opposed to reopening talks with the US.
Well, now it appears that were Tehran to agree to that, it would be bargaining from a position of strengthen.
And that's because the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, has just released some worrying assessments about how close Iran is to producing four nuclear bombs.
I asked our Middle east regional editor, Mike Thompson what more the IAEA had been saying, as you said, all looking quite worrying.
It's saying that the big thing is the growth in the stockpile of Iran's uranium.
Back in 2015, there was an agreement with world powers which Iran said it would limit its enrichment to just 4% or less than 4%.
In fact, now its stockpile has significantly grown and according to this report, its reached 60% which is not that far off weapons grade material.
Added to that, Iran apparently has continued to not cooperate with IAEA inspectors.