Iran has enough nuclear fuel to make bomb: U.S.

Article Current World Affair (week 3)

Iran has enough nuclear fuel to make bomb: U.S.

Sun Mar 1, 10:15 am ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States believes Iran has stockpiled enough nuclear fuel to make a bomb, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen said on Sunday.

"We think they do, quite frankly," Mullen said on CNN's "State of the Union" program when asked whether Iran has enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon.
"And Iran having nuclear weapons, I've believed for a long time, is a very very bad outcome -- for the region and for the world," Mullen said.

A watchdog report issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency two weeks ago said Iran had built up a stockpile of nuclear fuel, raising alarm among Western governments that Tehran might have understated by one third how much uranium it has enriched.
The United States suspects Iran of trying to use its nuclear program to build an atomic bomb, but Tehran insists it is purely for the peaceful generation of electricity. Enriched uranium can be used to make nuclear weapons.

U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, which favors diplomatic engagement with Tehran to defuse the dispute over its nuclear intentions, called Iran's nuclear program an "urgent problem" the international community must address.

The IAEA report showed a significant increase in Iran's reported stockpile of low-enriched uranium (LEU) since November to 1,010 kg -- enough, some physicists say, for possible conversion into high-enriched uranium for one bomb.

The IAEA later said Iran was cooperating well with U.N. nuclear inspectors to help ensure it does not again understate the amount of uranium it has enriched, suggesting the uranium accounting shortfall might not have been deliberate evasion.
(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090301/ts_nm/us_nuclear_iran_mullen/print


Personal reaction:

In the article above U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen states that he believes that Iran has enough nuclear fuel to make a atom bomb. To me this article says that the entire world is sin danger of an atomic war. This weeks Current World Affair class has made us focused on the threat of North Korea.

I feel that Iran can become the new North Korea. If they have the power to make an atom bomb they can use it as a bargaining or threatning tool in their relation with other countries. So there is no guarentee that when the issue with North Korea is resolved all the problems with atom bombs are resolved.

Iran is a country that can use their power to blackmail or destroy other countries. A number of articles this week in different news sources say that a number of countries are working on the Iran problem. However I feel that North Korea is the main target at the moment. Maybe Iran should get more attention in order to prevent it from becoming 'the new' North Korea.
More readings on: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7917726.stm