US: Iran Has the Know-How to Enrich Uranium

Iran is one step closer to producing nuclear weapons, U.S. officials believe. According to the Guardian newspaper, a leaked American diplomatic cable states that Iran has had the technical ability to produce highly enrich uranium for about two years.

The revelation came in April 2009, when a group of international nuclear experts met in Austria. The American representative cabled back to the United States that "Iran had now demonstrated centrifuge operations such that it had the technical ability to produce highly enriched uranium (HEU) if it so chose."

Highly enriched uranium is essential for the production of nuclear weapons. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insists that his country's drive for nuclear technology is entirely peaceful, but the United States and other nations disagree.

Talks between Iran and six nations over the the issue of Iran's nuclear program are to resume on Friday.