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Journalism of Courage
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered his countrys atomic agency on Sunday to begin enriching uranium to a higher level,a move that is likely to deepen international suspicion over the countrys intentions for its nuclear programme.
Ahmadinejads latest pronouncement on the issue of enriched uranium coincided with a call on Sunday by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates for the international community to rally together to pressure Iran into abandoning its nuclear programme. Speaking to reporters in Rome,Gates said if the international community will stand together and bring pressure on Iran,I believe there is still time for sanctions to work.
While the 20 per cent threshold is substantially below the 90 per cent plus needed to make fissile warhead material,any such move would raise international alarm bells because it would bring Iran substantially closer to weapons capacity. That is because enriching from 20 per cent to weapons grade can be done much more quickly and with much less equipment than from the low-enriched stockpile Iran now posesses.
David Albright,whose Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security tracks suspected proliferators,said it would take 2,000 centrifuges about a year to turn Irans 1.8 ton stockpile of 3.5 per cent uranium into enough weapons grade uranium for one warhead. But he said it would only take 500 to 1,000 centrifuges,and half a year,to move from 20 per cent to 90 per cent plus enriched material.
Ahmadinejad was speaking at a meeting attended by the head of Irans atomic energy agency,Ali Akbar Salehi. Turning to Salehi,he said: Mr Salehi,begin production of 20 per cent enriched uranium.
Producing enriched uranium is the international communitys core concern over Irans disputed nuclear programme since it can be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran says its programme is for peaceful purposes.
Iran and the West have been discussing a UN plan under which Iran would export its low-enriched uranium for enrichment abroad. The Vienna talks in November 2009 came up with a draft proposal that would take 70 per cent of Irans low-enriched uranium. That uranium would be returned about a year later as refined fuel rods,which can power reactors but cannot be turned into weapons-grade material.
Last week,Ahmadinejad said he was ready to export his countrys low-enriched uranium for higher enrichment abroad. Sundays comments,however,appeared to justify the skepticism with which his Tuesdays comments were met by world leaders.
