U.S. Lags in Recovering Fuel Suitable for Nuclear Arms
By JOEL BRINKLEY and WILLIAM J. BROAD
Published: March 7, 2004
WASHINGTON, March 6 — As the United States presses Iran and other countries to shut down their nuclear weapons development programs, government auditors have disclosed that the United States is making little effort to recover large quantities of weapons-grade uranium — enough to make roughly 1,000 nuclear bombs — that the government dispersed to 43 countries over the last several decades.
Among the countries that received the highly enriched uranium, generally with the expectation that it would be returned, were Iran and Pakistan. The chief nuclear weapons expert in Pakistan recently made the stunning disclosure that his network had secretly sold uranium and nuclear technology to Libya, Iran and North Korea.
The auditors said they found that "large quantities of U.S.-produced highly enriched uranium were out of U.S. control."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/07/international/worldspecial2/07NUKE.html?th"Among the countries that received the highly enriched uranium, generally with the expectation that it would be returned, were Iran and Pakistan"
Hmmmm- I wonder in what form it would be "returned"... a missile strike?