Iran's Nuclear Experiments Raise Alarm at U.N. Agency

The United Nations' nuclear agency says it is "increasingly concerned" so as to Iran has conducted experimental work to enlarge nuclear weapons, in particular on warheads to deliver nuclear payloads in a statement issued Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency also said Iran has begun deploy so-called second-generation centrifuges at its largest uranium-enrichment facility at Natanz, which could allow to the country to produce nuclear fuel at three times its current rate.

Tehran has concurrently begun installing centrifuge machines at an underground site close to the holy city of Qom, according to the U.N. agency, potentially minimizing the ability of the U.S. or Israel to launch military strikes beside Iran's nuclear facilities.

U.S. officials said the report reflects heightened international anxiety that Iran is developing the technologies to build nuclear weapons; a charge Tehran has repeatedly denied, Washington also said Iran's actions point to a require for additional international financial pressure on Tehran's government to power it to comply with U.N. resolutions requiring it to suspend all uranium-enrichment activities.