Ten new plants could generate up to 300 tonnes of enriched uranium per year
In a move that will no doubt heighten tensions and bolster fears that Iran is trying to construct a nuclear weapon, Tehran has announced it is planning to start construction on 10 new uranium enrichment plants within two months. The new facilities could produce as much as 250-300 tonnes of enriched uranium a year. The announcement amounts to an act of open defiance against the UN, which recently condemned Iran for running a secret nuclear plant. Iran has the right to create nuclear power for peaceful purposes, but has so far refused to answer questions about warhead-related research and declined to participate in a program to send its fuel abroad for enrichment—a program that would allow the government to generate nuclear power while preventing it from weaponizing uranium. International negotiations have broken down, making the adoption of punitive sanctions against Iran a likely possibility.