Alarm Raised Over Quality of Uranium Found in Iran

Iran is back in the spotlight for its alleged nuclear weapons program, and this time the international pressure to dismantle will be strong. United Nations nuclear inspectors have found traces of extremely highly enriched uranium in Iran, of a purity reserved for use in a nuclear bomb. Iran claims that its military had indeed enriched uranium but only to create unsophisticated models for use by civilians. The recently found highly enriched uranium, Iran says, was contaminated before it reached Iran's borders. Washington, however, remains skeptical and is pressuring the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to trace the origins of the enriched uranium. With Pakistan’s ‘father of the nuclear bomb’ Abdul Qadeer Khan’s recent confession that he secretly sold uranium to Iran, and Libya’s resolution to dismantle its nuclear program, "the trap is sprung," says a senior US official. Iran will have to allow persistent inquiry of its nuclear agenda, whether it likes it or not. – YaleGlobal

Alarm Raised Over Quality of Uranium Found in Iran

Craig S. Smith
Thursday, March 11, 2004

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