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Iran Said to Have Expanded Uranium Enrichment Capability

(Los Angeles Times) Ken Dilanian - The International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to report next week that Iran has significantly expanded its uranium enrichment capability at its Fordow facility. The move could shorten the time Tehran would need to build a nuclear weapon. The Fordow facility, tucked into the mountains near Qom, was secretly built deep underground to withstand an air attack. Disclosure of increased enrichment capacity at Fordow is likely to heighten concern in Israel, whose leaders have publicly worried that Iran is approaching a "zone of immunity" in which its nuclear program could not be significantly derailed by an Israeli attack. At its current pace, by next year Iran may be able produce enough fuel for a bomb within two months, said David Albright, who follows Iran's nuclear program closely for the Institute for Science and International Security. Fairly soon after that, as Iran continues to add to its centrifuge capacity, the time will be reduced to one month.
2012-08-24 00:00:00
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