UN Nuclear Agency Documents Iran Atom Advances

U.N. nuclear inspectors recently counted nearly 200 advanced machines fully or partially installed at Iran’s main uranium enrichment site.

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported Thursday, confirming diplomats’ accounts that Tehran has begun a major upgrade of a program that can be used to make atomic arms.

Iran denies it wants such weapons and says it is enriching only to make reactor fuel and for scientific and medical purposes under international law specifically allowing such activities.

But because it hid its enrichment program — and other nuclear activities — for decades, many countries fear that Tehran ultimately wants to enrich to weapons-grade level, suitable for arming nuclear warheads.

U.N sanctions and Security Council demands for a halt in enrichment have been ineffective, with Iran instead expanding the activity.

The IAEA also has failed to re-launch an investigation into allegations that Iran worked secretly on components of a nuclear weapons program.

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