LONDON, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said Tuesday that Iran is several years from making its own nuclear weapons.
"On purely technical grounds, Iran appears to be at least several years away from producing enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon, and whether Iran has the expertise to fabricate a nuclear weapon from this material is unknown," the report said.
The institute said rather "than dash for a bomb, Iran may seek gradually to acquire a much more substantial nuclear production capability over a decade or more -- for example by completing a large-scale centrifuge plant for producing nuclear fuel -- before it decides whether to exercise a weapons option."
The report comes two weeks before the International Atomic Energy Agency refers Iran's case to the U.N. Security Council, which may consider sanctions against the Islamic country.
Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian use, but the United States and the European Union feel that the program is being used as a cover for weapons development.
The IISS noted that unlike North Korea, Iran is a more open society which would be interested in avoiding any world condemnation and isolation.
