Marching Torwards Nuclearization: Iran Approaches Another Nuclear Milestone. http://www.committeeonthepresentdanger.org/IranUpdate/Archive/MarchingTorwardsNuclearization
- From: mike <yard22192@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:48:38 -0800 (PST)
Marching Torwards Nuclearization: Iran Approaches Another Nuclear
Milestone.
http://www.committeeonthepresentdanger.org/IranUpdate/Archive/MarchingTorwardsNuclearizationIranApproaches/tabid/945/Default.aspx
IRAN UPDATE
December 4, 2008
MARCHING TOWARD NUCLEARIZATION
Iran Approaches Another Nuclear Milestone
How far is Iran from a “nuclear breakout capability,” in which it
acquires enough low enriched uranium to quickly refine and build a
nuclear bomb? The answer, says a new report by a prominent Washington
think tank, is “not very.”
“The November IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] safeguards
report on Iran states that Iran had produced a total of 630 kilograms
of enriched uranium hexafluoride... [of which] about 425 kilograms
[is] enriched uranium,” David Albright, Jacqueline Shire, and Paul
Brannan write for the Institute for Science and International Security
(ISIS). “ISIS has estimated that about 700-800 kilograms of LEU...
would give Iran the capability to produce enough weapon-grade uranium
for a nuclear weapon.”
The Islamic Republic, in other words, is roughly halfway to the raw
material for a nuclear weapon. And, Albright, Shire, and Brannan say,
if it begins to operate a total of 6,000 centrifuges – a goal that
Iranian scientists announced earlier this year – it could generate
enough low enriched uranium for one bomb in roughly four months.
The result? “Although some media reports in November 2008 concluded
prematurely that Iran has reached a nuclear weapons capability, Iran
is moving steadily toward this capability and is expected to reach
that milestone during 2009 under a wide variety of scenarios,” the
ISIS study says.
Here’s hoping the incoming administration is paying attention.
.
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