Iran's nuclear plans alarm UN watchdog

Iran has announced plans to turn tons of uranium into the substance used to make enriched uranium, the UN atomic watchdog agency said today in a report stoking concern about Tehran’s nuclear agenda.

The confidential report of the International Atomic Energy Agency said the agency had been informed that the Islamic Republic planned to process more than 40 tons of raw uranium into uranium hexafluoride.

Uranium hexafluoride is spun in centrifuges to produce enriched uranium, which in turn can be used to generate power or make nuclear warheads, depending on the degree of enrichment.

A senior diplomat familiar with the agency declined to say how much hexafluoride could be obtained from that amount of raw uranium, also known as yellowcake, beyond saying it was a “substantial amount.”

Another diplomat said that enough highly enriched uranium could be produced from the hexafluoride derived to make several explosive devices.