Don't Look Now, But Iran And North Korea Are Upping Their Nuclear Games -- Alexander Abad-Santos, The Atlantic
There are two countries in this world that we'd rather not see tinker with nuclear energy: Iran and North Korea. And it just so happens one of those is now prepping for a nuclear test, while the other is bragging about how it's putting its program into overdrive.
Let's start in Iran. "Iran is poised for a major technological update of its uranium enrichment program, allowing it to vastly increase production of the material that can be used for both reactor fuel and nuclear warheads," diplomats told the AP on Thursday. According to sources at the International Atomic Energy Agency, officials in Iran are mounting 3,132 "new-generation centrifuges" which likely means they're done with research and now moving on to enrichment, which in the big picture, "will reduce the timeline for Iran being able to produce a weapon's worth of fissile material," an expert told the AP.
Read more ....
Update #1: Why Iran's nuclear enrichment upgrade may be a 'game changer' -- Peter Grier, Christian Science Monitor
Update #2: Analysis: What is driving North Korea's nuclear test plan -- BBC
My Comment: Who is going to stop them .... at the moment nobody .... and the North Koreans/Iranians know that.