Darya Dolzikova​

RUSI's Dolzikova said that the use of sanctions is “probably not as strong of a lever as it will have been four or five years ago,” because the Iranian economy has since adapted to the pressure by expanding its relations with Russia and China. She added that “if the Trump administration does go after those continued exports to China, as they seem set to do, then that might create additional pressure.

Weapons-grade uranium, which is needed for a nuclear bomb, is 90% enriched or more. The IAEA head, Rafael Grossi, has suggested what Iran is doing may be a response to the country's regional setbacks. "It's a really concerning picture," says Darya Dolzikova, expert on nuclear proliferation at the Royal United Services Institute think tank. "The nuclear programme is in a completely different place to where it was in 2015."

On June 18 this year, the US Senate passed the ADVANCE Act, to accelerate the adoption of next-generation nuclear reactors in the US. Darya Dolzikova, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, wrote in March that “US utilities may struggle to keep nuclear power plants operating should Russian enriched uranium supply be cut off”.