Iraq's nuclear hide-and-seek

Journal Article · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/00963402.1991.11460006· OSTI ID:7229456

Albright, D ^[1]; Hibbs, M

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1. Friends of the Earth, Washington, DC (United States)

The revelation that Iraq had spent as much as $8 billion on its calutron program implies that Iraq sought to develop a large and renewable weapons material stockpile. While the calutron revelations are alarming, a nuclear weapons program requires more than equipment to produce fissile materials. Iraq lacked the hands-on experience required to nudge its fledgling gas centrifuge program out of the laboratory and into the large-scale production phase. No information to date suggests that Iraq would have escaped serious difficulties as it moved from a calutron pilot stage to large-scale production of highly enriched uranium. The revelations have raised hard questions about the quality of reconnaissance information on Iraq's nuclear effort. But the heat fingerprints left by a large calutron production plant would become visible only after the facility was producing enriched uranium. Tracking down and eliminating Iraq's nuclear weapons capabilities under the terms of Resolution 687, and a continued embargo to halt imports of relevant technologies and equipment, will be the most effective way to prevent Iraq's nuclear program from resurfacing.

• OSTI ID: 7229456
• Journal Information: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; (United States), Journal Name: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; (United States) Vol. 47:7; ISSN BASIA; ISSN 0096-5243
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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