In the recent months Iran has drastically increased its production of nuclear fuel, with much of it coming from the newly opened plant inside a mountain bunker. There has been nearly a 50% jump since the fall in Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. This means they are that much closer to developing a nuclear weapon. More than third of the output is coming from a secret installation, Fordow, that IAEA inspectors found.
Iran already has enough uranium to create four nuclear weapons. The increase in their stockpile and the shift to underground bunker could greatly shorten the amount of time needed to create these weapons. However, Iran would have to kick out U.N. inspectors before it could actually begin assembling the weapons. Still, the increase in production was criticized by US and European officials who said Iran is undermining its credibility at a time when Iranian leaders have been talking about restarting nuclear talk with the West.
UN officials report that Iran had begun to stonewall the agency’s effort to investigate allegations that Iranian scientists had begun intensive research into nuclear warheads. IAEA inspectors have not been able to unearth direct evidence that Iran is working on building a bomb, however their increase in stockpile has created great fear in the West.
This seems like just another sign that Iran is not really willing to negotiate with the West, if they have begun to move to secret bunkers and have still not begun any form of negotiations. Hopefully all of these suspicions and alligations turn out to be false and Iran and the West can begin real negotiations.
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