Iran Prepared for Large-Scale Nuclear Fuel Output: UN

Iran is able to produce nuclear fuel on an industrial scale, with 3,000 centrifuges capable of enriching uranium, a UN watchdog agency said today in a report sure to fuel diplomatic wrangling over sanctions. In praising Iran’s openness but demanding more, the International Atomic Energy Agency provided ammunition for both sides; Iran's president said the document vindicated his government's policies.

The UK immediately said Iran hadn’t answered concerns fully, the Guardian reports. But Mahmoud Ahmadinejad welcomed the report as evidence “that the Iranian nation has been right.” China and Russia are expected to use the report to demand further postponing of sanctions. The IAEA said it would continue to probe; the efficiency of the centrifuges remains unknown. (More Iran stories.)