|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Iran/idUSTRE5764BM20090807
Nuclear Iran Looms after Hardliners Prevail in Vote
[Reuters] Mark Heinrich - With Iran's hardline leadership prevailing over post-election unrest, its atomic program looks on course to reach bomb-making potential under the noses of UN inspectors and beyond the reach of U.S. overtures for talks. Its output rate of low-enriched uranium has leapt as the number of centrifuge machines has risen eight-fold over the past year. The IAEA said in June that the Natanz plant was swiftly outgrowing inspectors' ability to monitor it effectively. Some 5,000 centrifuges were enriching uranium at that time, with 2,400 more being set up. UN inspectors have no right to roam beyond Iran's declared civilian nuclear sites. That leaves them unable to verify Iran has no parallel military nuclear enterprise somewhere in the vast, security-gripped country. Western estimates as to when Iran could "go nuclear" stretch from six months to five years.