Iran's nuclear threat to America and Israel: Tehran warns it can enrich uranium to weapons grade if it is attacked again as ceasefire teeters on the brink

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 12:55, 12 May 2026 | Updated: 12:56, 12 May 2026 Tehran has warned it can enrich its uranium to a weapons-grade level if Iran is attacked again.    Iranian parliamentary spokesman Ebrahim Rezaei said on Tuesday in a post to X: 'One of Iran's options in the event of another attack could be 90 percent enrichment. We will review it in the parliament.' Last June, Donald Trump said Iran's nuclear facilities were 'obliterated' by US and Israeli strikes during a 12-day war, severely limiting Iran's capacity to enrich uranium. The fate of around 400kgs (882lbs) of uranium enriched to 60%, a short technical step from roughly 90% weapons-grade material, remains unclear. US intelligence assessments suggest Tehran's nuclear programme will not be significantly impeded unless that highly enriched uranium (HEU) stockpile is removed or destroyed. The nuclear issue has been a key point of contention in talks between the US and Iran to end the conflict that began in late February.  Tehran wants nuclear topics discussed at a later stage, while Washington insists Iran should move its highly enriched uranium stockpile abroad and renounce domestic enrichment. On Monday, US president Donald Trump said an ongoing ceasefire between America and Iran was on 'life support' after dismissing an Iranian proposal, underscoring how fragile diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain. Last June, Donald Trump (pictured) said Iran's nuclear facilities were 'obliterated' by US and Israeli strikes during a 12-day war A satellite image shows the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran after an airstrike in this handout image dated June 14, 2025 It comes as Kuwait accused Iran of sending an armed paramilitary Revolutionary Guard team to launch a failed attack earlier this month on an island in the Middle East nation home to a China-funded port project. The accusation by Kuwait of an Iranian link to the incident came just before Trump travels to Beijing for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Iran didn't immediately acknowledge the allegation by Kuwait, which came under repeated attack by Iran in the war and even during the shaky ceasefire still holding in the region.  However, the allegation and ongoing attacks throughout the region have threatened to tip the region back into open warfare. The accusation came as the US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed that Israel sent Iron Dome air defence batteries and personnel to operate them in the United Arab Emirates during the war with Iran.  'Can I say a word of appreciation, deep appreciation and admiration for the United Arab Emirates?' Mike Huckabee said during a conference at Tel Aviv University. 'They were the first Abraham Accords member but look at the benefits that they have had as a result. Israel just sent them Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help operate them. How come? Because there's an extraordinary relationship between the UAE and Israel based on the Abraham Accords,' he said. Iran targeted the UAE more than any other country during the war, which was sparked by US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic at the end of February. Despite a ceasefire that came into effect last month, the UAE has since reported multiple missile and drone attacks from Iran. The oil-rich United Arab Emirates is a top US ally in the region and among the Arab nations with official ties to Israel after signing the Abraham Accords during US President Donald Trump's first term in 2020. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.