Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation Print subscriptions Search jobs Europe edition Australia edition International edition The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian Show moreHide expanded menu View all News Climate crisis Environment Global development View all Opinion The Guardian view Opinion videos View all Sport Rugby union View all Culture Art & design View all Lifestyle Health & fitness Home & garden Search input google-search Print subscriptions Search jobs Digital Archive Guardian Licensing The Guardian app Newsletters Today's paper Inside the Guardian Guardian Weekly Corrections Search input google-search Search jobs Digital Archive Guardian Licensing Middle East Global development Science WeeklyScience What does it take to make a nuclear weapon? – podcast More ways to listen Apple podcasts Presented and produced by Madeleine Finlay, sound design by Ross Burns, the executive producer was Ellie Bury Tue 1 Jul 2025 06.00 CEST 00:00:0000:00:00 In an interview last weekend, Iran’s ambassador to the UN said his country’s nuclear enrichment ‘will never stop’ because it is permitted for ‘peaceful energy’ purposes. It is the latest development in an escalation of tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme, which erupted when Israel targeted the country’s nuclear facilities in June. To understand why enrichment is so important, Madeleine Finlay talks to Robin Grimes, professor of materials physics at Imperial College London. He explains what goes into creating a nuclear weapon, and why getting to the stage of weaponisation is so difficult Iran’s nuclear enrichment ‘will never stop’, nation’s UN ambassador says Support the Guardian Photograph: AP Explore more on these topics Science Weekly Nuclear weapons Middle East and north Africa Most viewed Most viewed Middle East Global development Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morningSign up for our email Complaints & corrections Work for us Privacy policy Cookie policy Terms & conditions All writers Digital newspaper archive Tax strategy Newsletters Advertise with us Search UK jobs Back to top © 2025 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr)