(New York Times) William J. Broad - International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors reported Tuesday that when visiting the main Iranian enrichment plant at Natanz on Nov. 16, they found that engineers had stopped feeding uranium into the long rows of centrifuges. Six days later, Iran said it had restarted the process. Independent experts suggested that the computer worm suspected of being aimed at Iran's nuclear program had caused the machines to break down. David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, said the new disclosures made incapacitation from the Stuxnet worm "sound more credible." American officials have not claimed responsibility for the worm, but they do say the Obama administration has stepped up a broad covert program, inherited from the Bush administration, to undermine Iran's nuclear program. The report added that the atomic agency "remains concerned about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed nuclear-related activities," including "development of a nuclear payload for a missile."
2010-11-24 09:01:02Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive