Report: Iran Restarts Work on Nuclear Weapons

An article on the London Daily Telegraph’s web site September 12 reported that “Fresh evidence has emerged that suggests Iran has renewed work on developing nuclear weapons….”

According to the article, nuclear monitors observing Iran’s nuclear work “…discovered that enough enriched uranium, which if processed to weapons grade level could be used to make up to six atom bombs, has disappeared from the main production facility at Isfahan.”

Western nations led by the United States have long suspected that Iran has secretly been working to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Iran has repeatedly denied. A U.S. Intelligence Estimate late last year concluded that Iran had stopped its pursuit of nuclear weapons in 2003, the year U.S.-led coalition forces invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein from power.

That intelligence estimate also said that it was unclear whether or not Iran had restarted its nuclear weapons program since it was halted. The Israeli government maintains that Iran is still working to develop nuclear weapons, and several Israeli officials have hinted at the possibility of military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The Telegraph’s article says that nuclear experts from the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “…believe between 50-60 tons of uranium – which if enriched to weapons grade level would be sufficient to produce five or six atom bombs – has gone missing from the plant.”

Their conclusions were based on a study of known amounts of uranium material at Isfahan and the amount of yellow cake that had been processed. The article says the facility at Isfahan is supposed to be open to IAEA inspectors, but that Iranian officials only permit limited access during the last stage of production.

Iran has already been subjected to three rounds of sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council, and several unilateral sanctions imposed independently by the United States and the European Union.

Some analysts believe the Iranians are playing a stalling game, buying time with the international community by promising more negotiations while continuing clandestine nuclear work.

According to the article, IAEA observers “…believe the Iranians have deliberately removed the uranium at a stage in the production process that is not under their supervision.”

The United States and several European Union countries have been laying the groundwork for a new round of sanctions in the U.N. Security Council, although it is far from clear whether such measures would garner the support of China and Russia, which each hold veto power in the Council.

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