U.S. says Iran nearing ability to make atom bombs

Posted 09 11 2009 3:28PM

VIENNA (Reuters) – The United States said on Wednesday that Iran was moving closer to being able to make atomic bombs by stockpiling enriched uranium.

"We have serious concerns that Iran is deliberately attempting, at a minimum, to preserve a nuclear weapons option," U.S. envoy Glyn Davies told a meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog's 435-nation governing board.

"Iran is now either very near or in possession already of sufficient low-enriched uranium to produce one nuclear weapon if the decision were made to further enrich it to weapons-grade ... (This) moves Iran closer to a dangerous and destabilizing possible breakout capacity," Davies said.

(Reporting by Mark Heinrich; Editing by Jon Boyle)