(Wall Street Journal) Jay Solomon - Iran could begin producing weapons-grade plutonium by next summer, U.S. and European officials believe, using a different nuclear technology. Until now, Western governments had been focused primarily on Iran's vast program to enrich uranium. Now, the West is increasingly concerned Iran also could use the development of a heavy water nuclear reactor to produce plutonium for a bomb. The Tehran regime has made significant advances on the construction of a heavy water reactor in Arak. The Arak facility, due to become operational by the second half of 2014, will be capable of producing two nuclear bombs' worth of plutonium a year by 2016. India and Pakistan have built plutonium-based bombs, as has North Korea.
2013-08-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive