UN report confirms: Iran halted nuke work in November
UN report confirms: Iran halted nuke work in November – Israel News, Ynetnews.
Confidential report: Iran temporarily stopped uranium enrichment earlier this month
Reuters
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| Iran temporarily halted lower-level uranium enrichment work earlier this month, a UN nuclear watchdog report said, after Western diplomats said Tehran’s nuclear program was suffering technical problems.
The confidential report, obtained by Reuters on Tuesday, did not give any reason for the unusual move by Iran to briefly stop feeding material into centrifuge machines used to refine uranium. It also said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) remained concerned about possible activity in Iran to develop a nuclear payload for a missile. Despite the temporary halt of enrichment work in mid-November, Iran’s total output of low-enriched uranium (LEU) rose to reach 3.18 tons, the report said, suggesting Iran had maintained steady production in recent months. Experts say that amount could be enough for at least two bombs if refined much further. A diplomat close to the IAEA said none of the centrifuge units, or cascades, at Iran’s Natanz plant were being fed for enrichment to lower-levels when inspectors visited the site on Nov 16. “They weren’t enriching uranium,” he said. Computer virus to blame? About a week later, Iran informed the UN agency that 28 cascades – each normally containing 164 centrifuges – were enriching uranium again. The diplomat said he did not know why Iran had temporarily stopped the work or for how long it had lasted. But he suggested a technical issue was the likely reason. He said it had happened a few times in the past, without giving details. Western diplomats earlier on Tuesday said it was unclear whether the Stuxnet computer virus may have been to blame for technical problems they said Iran had been experiencing. Iran is using an old centrifuge model which has been dogged by previous breakdowns. Security experts have said the release of Stuxnet could have been a state-backed attack, possibly from Israel or another foe of Iran, to sabotage the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
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WarSclerotic 
November 24, 2010 at 3:33 PM
YA KNOW THE NORTH KOREANS MAY BE PISSED ABOUT THIS TOO AND MAY WELL BE THE REASON THEY ARE TTAKING ACTION AS BEING THEY ARE UNDERFIRE FROM THE STUXNET WORM TOO. THERE MAY WELL BE A PATTERN EMERGING THAT WILL CAUSE A HUGE TROOJAN WHORE TO PENETRATE THE VIRGIN NORTH KOREAN AND CHINESE SYSTEMS THAT WOULD LITERSLY SHUT THEM DOWN IN CASE OF ANY ESCALATION IN THIS WAR BEING AS IRANIAN SYSTEMS ARE ALREADY EXPLOITED AND THEY STAND VIRTUALY ALONE EXCEPT FOR THE CHINESE INTERVENTIONS. SO IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT THE CHINESE ARE GETTING THEIR SNOOTS FULL OF STUXNET TOO AND MAY NOT EVEN KNOWIT TILL ITS TOO DAMNED LATE OF COURSE THEIR MISSILE COMMANDS CAN BE COMPROMISED TOO JUST AS IRANS WERE. SO WE CAN BREATH WITH A FRESH BREATH THAT THE SITUATION IS IN FAR BETTER SHAPE THAN ONE MIGHT THINK AD WEARE NOW BENEFITTING FROM A LOT OF PREDESTINED INSURANCE POLICY PROGRAMS. THE WARTIME BATTLESPACE IS VERY MUCH IN GOD`S HANDS ANND HE LOVES HIS GOLDEN CANDLESTICKS. AMEN WHAT A GIFT FROM GOD