Iran Has Nuclear Ability

A International Atomic Energy Agency report to be released early this week will show the advancement of Iran's nuclear program. Iran's nuclear program is ready for the development of weapons and military use, Western diplomats told CNN. The Washington Post reports that Iran "has mastered the critical steps needed to build a nuclear weapon." 

The report also shows that Iran received crucial outside assistance from foreign allies. Experts and officials on the report said a former Soviet weapons expert allegedly tutored Iranians over several years on how to use precision detonators that can be used to trigger a nuclear chain reaction. They also said that technology from Pakistan and North Korea may have also contributed to Iran's new nuclear abilities.

According to David Albright, former IAEA official who looked over the findings in the report told the Washington Post, that the Iranians needed help on a device known as the R26 Generator.

The generator is sphere that contains a several high explosives that can go off within seconds of each other. The device also contains enriched uranium and plutonium that can set off a nuclear chain reaction.

Iran needed help in building such a difficult device and testing how effective it could be, Albright also said. 

Key to Iran's plan was former Soviet nuclear scientist, Vyacheslav Danilenko. Danilenko is believed to be involved in helping Iran for at least five years with lectures and providing his research on developing and testing explosives that Iranians incorporated into their design, according to U.N. officials who were shown the report.

Iranian nuclear development was thought to have stopped in 2003 but research looks to have continued hidden under other areas. 

"After 2003, money was made available for research in areas that sure look like nuclear weapons work but were hidden within civilian institutions," Albright told The Washington Post. 

The United States is planning to increase sanctions on Iran's banking and financial sectors, including the central bank of Iran even though that might have an impact on oil prices in the global economic times. The U.S. also hopes further steps are taken to further isolate Iran diplomatically. 

Other foreign nations such as Israel have been speculated to be planning an attack on the Iranian nuclear bases. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says any attack would not be smart.

"This would be a very serious mistake fraught with unpredictable consequences," Lavrov said when asked about Israelis possible plans of attack.

He also said there could be no military solutuion to the Iranian nuclear problem and their relatuonship with their neighboring countries haas led to too much blood shed.

Some officials have said that the U.S. military is monitoring Israel and Iran very closely in preparation of an attack. 

Graphic by Futureatlas.com.