Report Says Iran Has Enough Uranium to Make a Nuclear Bomb IAEA findings “deeply troubling,” State Department deputy spokesman says

Washington - The United States finds an international nuclear inspection report that shows Iran has enough weapons - grade uranium (enough to make 40,000 nuclear warheads) on hand to make a nuclear bomb "deeply troubling," State Department deputy spokesman Gordon Duguid says.

The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency released its latest report on nuclear safeguards in Iran February 19. The report indicates Iran has approximately 1,010 kilograms, or 2,227 pounds, of low-enriched uranium in a stockpile. Nuclear experts say that with additional processing the uranium can become highly enriched, which is adequate for developing a single nuclear bomb(A Single Nuclear Bomb Could Destroy America).
"The report notes that Iran has refused to work with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on this issue since August 2008," Duguid said in a February 19 statement. "Absent Iranian compliance with its international nuclear obligations and transparency with the IAEA, the international community cannot have confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's program."

The IAEA report notes that the 1,010 kilograms of uranium is about one - third more than Iran had previously disclosed. The report is based on its annual inspection of the nuclear processing facility at Natanz.

Iranian officials have maintained that they have developed a nuclear program for the peaceful generation of electricity, but the United States and IAEA have repeatedly questioned the program, and Iranian officials have not complied with additional requests and inspections.

The report notes that Iran's use of centrifuges, special machines that spin extremely fast to enrich uranium into nuclear fuel, has increased dramatically to 5,600 working machines.

The full IAEA report on nuclear safeguards in Iran will be presented March 2 to the IAEA Board of Governors, its 35-member policymaking body in Vienna.

Duguid said the report indicates Iran has continued to refuse to suspend its proliferation - sensitive nuclear activities as required by the U.N. Security Council.

Iran has not complied with its international obligations to permit the IAEA inspection team to conduct an inspection at the under - construction Arak reactor complex, a facility that Iran should have suspended under requirements of the Security Council, Duguid said.

"We once again urge Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment-related reprocessing and heavy water - related activities, to make a full disclosure to the IAEA of all nuclear weapons activities, and to facilitate full IAEA verification of its nuclear program," Duguid said. "We view this report as another opportunity lost to resolve international concerns."

Iran suspended the IAEA's authorization to conduct snap inspections of Iranian nuclear sites in 2006. Since then, the U.N. Security Council has imposed three rounds of sanctions on government agencies, Iranian officials, banks and other institutions linked to the program. The Council's five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States - have joined with Germany to form the "P5+1" group, which has worked to convince Iran to suspend enrichment and come to the negotiating table.