Iran’s nuclear moves

last updated 8 January 2015

Tehran

Iran this week reopened its nuclear research facilities, raising alarms throughout the world. Iran had voluntarily closed the plants in 2004 while negotiating with Europe over the fate of its nuclear program. But now, the country’s Islamic leaders say the talks were going nowhere and that they can no longer delay the nation’s “peaceful” research. The U.N. atomic agency said Iran is gearing up for small-scale enrichment of uranium, a step that can create bomb fuel as well as power-plant fuel. The U.S. and the European Union said that enriching uranium would bring a referral to the U.N. Security Council for economic sanctions. Even Russia, which has helped Iran with nuclear power in the past, said the Iranian move provoked “concern.”