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Brushing Off an Alarming IAEA Report on the Iranian Nuclear Program
(Wall Street Journal) Editorial - Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said Monday: "The Agency has lost continuity of knowledge in relation to [Iran's] production and inventory of centrifuges, rotors and bellows, heavy water and uranium ore concentrate." In plainer English, the world is in the dark, raising the risk that Iran is accumulating a secret stock of advanced centrifuges to pursue a quiet nuclear breakout. The Institute for Science and International Security says Iran can enrich enough uranium for 13 nuclear weapons, seven in the first month of a breakout. Tehran won't allow key monitoring equipment into the country, and it has excluded some of the IAEA's most experienced inspectors. Under such conditions, the world can hardly rely on the IAEA to detect diversion of nuclear materials to new and undeclared facilities. Reuters reports that Britain, France and Germany were pushing for a resolution of censure from the IAEA board, but "the United States did not want to risk further diplomatic escalation with Iran." When a mild move such as censure is considered a bridge too far, you know the incentive structure for Iran is all wrong.