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Iran Remains a Serious Threat
[Brown Daily Herald] The international community's sanctions aimed at curbing Iran's uranium enrichment have failed, and Iran is now within months of having enough enriched uranium to create a nuclear weapon, said Mark Fitzpatrick, senior fellow for non-proliferation at the UK's International Institute for Strategic Studies, in a speech at Brown University this week. "I harbor no illusions about what Iran's intentions are," said Fitzpatrick, who worked at the State Department for 26 years. Every day, he said, Iran produces 2.5 kilograms of low-enriched uranium and is getting "very close" to the 700 kilograms required for a nuclear weapon. Despite Ahmadinejad's rhetoric, he said, there is no link between uranium enrichment and Israel. "I don't think Iran began its program because of Israel. I don't think it continues it because of Israel." Instead, he said, there are strong security reasons for Iran to enrich uranium - especially when Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq - as well as a prestige factor. But, he said, the threat to Israel "becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy." Fitzpatrick suggested the possibility of new sanctions, like an embargo on gasoline imports, which make up 40 percent of Iran's consumption. He added, however, that it would require the unlikely cooperation of a dozen countries.