EU Experts Say Iran Closer to Nuke Weapon

Tehran a year away on uranium; separate UN report out today
By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 22, 2008 9:25 AM CST
EU Experts Say Iran Closer to Nuke Weapon
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, sits under a map of his country, as he attends a meeting in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian)   (Associated Press)

A new report from a European Union agency concludes that Iran could have enough uranium to build an atomic bomb within one year. The EU results—which precede a major UN report coming out today—look nothing like the findings of the US intelligence community, writes Der Spiegel: the recent National Intelligence Estimate said that Iran would be able to obtain enough highly enriched uranium between 2010 and 2015.

The European analysis used computer simulations of Iran's centrifuges and is quick to point out that their conclusions are scientific, not political: they make no claim that Iran is actually at work on a weapon. But a number of signs indicate that Tehran's interest in nuclear technology goes beyond civilian use: only two days ago, a group of exile Iranian opposition figures published images allegedly depicting a bomb-making facility. (More European Union stories.)

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