‘Enriched uranium detected in Iran’

The UN atomic agency has found traces of highly enriched uranium at an Iranian site linked to the country’s Defence Ministry, diplomats said on Friday.

The UN atomic agency has found traces of highly enriched uranium at an Iranian site linked to the country’s Defence Ministry, diplomats said on Friday. The finding added to concerns that Tehran was hiding activities that could be used to make nuclear arms.

The diplomats said the findings were preliminary and still had to be confirmed through other lab tests. But they said the density of enrichment appeared to be close to or above weapons grade.

Still, they said that that further analysis could show that the traces match others established to have come from abroad on enrichment equipment bought by Iran from Pakistan through the nuclear black market during nearly two decades of clandestine activity discovered only a little more than three years ago.

Story continues below this ad

One of the diplomats said the samples under perusal came from equipment that can be used in enrichment centrifuges from a former research centre at Lavizan-Shian—believed to have been the repository of equipment bought by the Iranian military that could be used in a nuclear weapons programme.

In an April 28 report to the UN Security Council and the IAEA board of governors, agency head Mohamed ElBaradei said they took samples from some equipment at Lavizan-Shian. The diplomat said the evaluation of those samples revealed the traces in question.

GEORGE JAHN

The police said that Kumar, a resident of Turbhe MIDC in Navi Mumbai, was driving his concrete mixer truck when it collided with an SUV.

‘Unleashed aggressive dog to stop probe’: Sacked IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s mother booked

Cities6 hr ago

The mother of a dismissed IAS officer, Manorama Khedkar, has been booked by the police for obstructing an investigation and aiding suspects involved in a road rage incident. The incident occurred on September 13 and involved two men who allegedly kidnapped a truck helper.

View all shorts

Live Blog