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Iran atom bomb seen attainable despite snags-study

11 February 2010 21:34 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Iran is on course to produce enough highly enriched uranium to make nuclear weapons despite technical problems, a new study says, APA reports citing â€œReutersâ€.

But increased mechanical difficulties with centrifuges mean it is unlikely to be able to make enough lower-grade fuel for civilian nuclear power plants for a long time, if ever, the study by a think-tank tracking nuclear proliferation says.

Its report came out as Iran adjusted some centrifuges to enrich uranium to a higher grade from that needed to generate electricity, stoking Western concern over its intentions. Citing U.N. inspection and intelligence findings, the report said Iran’s main Natanz enrichment plant was dogged by centrifuge breakdowns and maintenance outages, with the machines refining uranium at only about half their nominal capacity.

It noted a 20 percent fall in numbers of operating machines in the year to last November, after a headlong expansion pursued for political purposes in a stand-off with world powers trying to curb Iran’s programme and throw it open to U.N. scrutiny.

A senior diplomat close to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Thursday there had been "no big changes" in active centrifuge capacity since November, suggesting technical woes were still hindering growth.

"Iran’s problems in its centrifuge programme are greater than expected a year ago," said the report by David Albright and Christina Walrond of the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), based in Washington.

"Iran is unlikely to deploy enough gas centrifuges to make enriched uranium for commercial nuclear power reactors (Iran’s stated nuclear goal) for a long time, if ever, particularly if (U.N.) sanctions remain in force," the report said.