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“Risk Remains as Long as Iran Enriches Uranium, Experts Say”
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor
December 06, 2007

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “(CNSNews.com) - As Democrats continue to attack the administration over a new intelligence assessment that Iran suspended its quest for nuclear weapons four years ago, proliferation experts say that as long as Tehran continues to enrich uranium, the potential threat remains.

That Iran is continuing — and increasing — its uranium enrichment activities is not a matter of dispute.

A year ago, it had just over 300 centrifuges operating at the Natanz nuclear facility. Early last month, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that Natanz now had 3,000 centrifuges, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that in a Nov. 15 report, putting the number at 2,952.

Centrifuges are machines that spin at high speeds to extract small amounts of fissile material from uranium. Uranium enriched at lower levels is used as fuel in power plants, while highly enriched uranium (HEU) is a key ingredient of an atomic bomb.”