point of no-return

IAEA source: Iran far from point of no-return

A UN nuclear watchdog official downplays a report by a Capitol Hill-based institute claiming Iran has a "break-out capacity" to build a bomb

After an Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) report claimed that based on the latest findings of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's nuclear program, the country had reached "nuclear weapons breakout capability" an official at the UN body cautioned against drawing such conclusions.

The latest report by the IAEA states that Iran has produced a total of some 1,010 kilograms of low enriched uranium (LEU) hexafluoride as of January 31, 2009.

The ISIS technical analysis of Iran's nuclear program claims that the country has in theory stockpiled sufficient low-enriched uranium - between 1,000 to 1,700kg - to produce the 20-25kg of highly enriched uranium necessary for one small bomb.

Uranium, the fuel needed for a nuclear power plant, can serve for military purposes if enriched to high levels. Nuclear arms production requires an enrichment level of above 90 percent (HEU).

"21 unannounced inspections" at Iranian nuclear sites, however, has proven that Iran has only managed to enrich uranium-235 to a level "less than 5 percent," suitable for use in power plants.

In order for Iran to build a nuclear weapon, it needs to reconfigure its existing centrifuge enrichment plant at Natanz to reprocess LEU into weapons-grade HEU, or build clandestine facilities without the knowledge of UN inspectors.

"We think they're not there yet," said the UN nuclear official speaking on condition of anonymity. He also pointed out that the Iranian enrichment program is "under surveillance at all times".

The IAEA official explained that the nuclear watchdog's monitors and surveillance equipment at the Iranian bunkers have not detected any reconfiguration activity on centrifuges, adding that there exists no evidence that Iran is building a clandestine facility to produce the highly enriched uranium needed for bomb fuel.

The ISIS analysis came in line with claims by the US, Israel and their European allies -- Britain, France and Germany - that accuse Iran of having military objectives in the pursuit of a nuclear program.

Iran, a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), says its nuclear program is designed purely for the civilian applications of the technology such as generating electricity