According to reports from Tehran, Russia is providing Iran with specialized fuel rods for a nuclear reactor in the city of Bushehr.
John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, tells National Review Online that once Bushehr is fueled and operational, that “will make it harder for Israel — or even the United States at some point — to take out [the Bushehr site] effectively.”
“The fueling of Bushehr, if it goes forward, is a major victory for Iran,” Bolton says. The planned 1,000-megawatt reactor, he adds, “will produce substantial amounts of plutonium and the kind of spent fuel that can be reproduced and used for nuclear weapons.”
“There is no doubt that Iran continues with its nuclear-weapons program,” Bolton says. “Despite White House spin, the sanctions have had no effect.”