Report Says Iran Has Data to Make a Nuclear Bomb

New York Times ^ | October 3, 2009 | WILLIAM J. BROAD and DAVID E. SANGER

[maquiladora]

Senior staff members of the United Nations nuclear agency have concluded in a confidential analysis that Iran has acquired “sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable” atom bomb.

(snip)

Two years ago, American intelligence agencies published a detailed report concluding that Tehran halted its efforts to design a nuclear weapon in 2003. But in recent months, Britain has joined France, Germany and Israel in disputing that conclusion, saying the work has been resumed.

A senior American official said last week that the United States was now re-evaluating its 2007 conclusions.

The atomic agency’s report also presents evidence that beyond improving upon bomb-making information gathered from rogue nuclear experts around the world, Iran has done extensive research and testing on how to fashion the components of a weapon. It does not say how far that work has progressed.

The report, titled “Possible Military Dimensions of Iran’s Nuclear Program,” was produced in consultation with a range of nuclear weapons experts inside and outside the agency. It draws a picture of a complex program, run by Iran’s Ministry of Defense, “aimed at the development of a nuclear payload to be delivered using the Shahab 3 missile system,” Iran’s medium-range missile, which can strike the Middle East and parts of Europe. The program, according to the report, apparently began in early 2002.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Actually its the uranium gun weapon thats easy.
For technologically advanced states the gun-type method is now essentially obsolete, for reasons of efficiency and safety (discussed above). The gun type method was largely abandoned by the United States as soon as the implosion technique was perfected, though it was retained in the specialised role of nuclear artillery for a time.

[DBrow]

That’s not what I said. I said that knowing the basic science is not enough.

We solved those questions from basic principles, so the next team knew there was a solution, something we did not know.

[djf]

IIRC, the first nuclear device was basically like a doughnut.
What made it go critical was a piece that was shoved into the center of the doughnut, and it reached critical mass.

This is a very, very simple design and does not require alot of high-tech switches, etc. If you had the uranium, a lathe, and a few other things, you could make one in your garage.