While Iran insists that it’s nuclear ambitions are purely peaceful, missing uranium metal, the construction of underground facilities for enrichment and a failure to convincingly explain its activities have given the international community reason to fear that Iran is close to breaking the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that it had agreed to.

Iran publicly stated that it began using its underground Fordo facility to enrich uranium to 20% – a level much more easily upgraded to weapons-grade material. Iran began the high-grade enrichment at the underground plant in January that is about 20 miles north Qom – a religious stronghold in the Islamic nation – and right next to a military base.

Iran has stated that the higher-grade uranium is only to be used for medical purposes, but the placement of the manufacturing plant deep underground and encircling it with missiles and defense armaments paint a different picture. The on-again/off-again nuclear talks and refusal to allow inspection of Iranian facilities also fuels fears that Iran is on the verge of going nuclear.