Iran may have tested advanced nuclear warhead design: IAEA
London | November 06, 2009 2:40:37 PM IST
 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that it has found evidence about Iran testing its advanced nuclear warhead design.

In a report titled "Possible Military Dimensions of Iran's Nuclear Program" the IAEA says it has also presented it to Iran for its response.

The very existence of the technology, known as a "two-point implosion" device, is officially secret in both the US and Britain, but according to the report, Iranian scientists may have tested high-explosive components of the design, The Guardian reported.

According to the report, the technology allows for the production of smaller and simpler warheads than older models, and it also reduces the diameter of a warhead and makes it easier to put a nuclear warhead on a missile.

The agency has in the past treated such reports with skepticism, particularly after the Iraq war. But its Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei, has said that the evidence of Iranian weaponisation "appears to have been derived from multiple sources over different periods of time. It appears to be generally consistent, and is sufficiently comprehensive and detailed that it needs to be addressed by Iran."

Nuclear experts have described the development as "breathtaking", and have urged for the urgency to find a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis.

The revelation of the documents comes at a time of growing tension, where Tehran has so far rejected a deal that would remove most of its enriched uranium stockpile for a year and replace it with nuclear fuel rods which would be much harder to turn into weapons.

The Iranian Government has also balked at negotiations over its continued enrichment of uranium. (ANI)

 

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