(New York Times) David E. Sanger and William J. Broad - International nuclear inspectors reported on Friday that Iran was moving more rapidly to produce nuclear fuel than many outsiders expected at the Fordow underground facility near Qum. IAEA inspectors found in their most recent visits that over the past three months, Iran had tripled its production capacity for a more purified type of fuel that is far closer to what is needed to make the core of a nuclear weapon. The new report indicated that 696 centrifuges have been installed at Fordow. An additional 2,088 have been partially installed. Iran said it has produced fuel enriched to 20% purity to replenish a small nuclear reactor in Tehran that is used to make medical isotopes. "They have now produced nearly enough 20% to fuel the Tehran Research Reactor for the next 20 years," one European diplomat said Friday.
2012-02-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive