According to a new analysis by LIGNET.com, Iran's first nuclear power plant is expected to enter its pre-launch phase today. The plant is located near the city of Bushehr and is starting up after years of construction delays. The plant was reportedly was delayed by the alleged Stuxnet computer virus which Iran claims was developed by U.S. or Israeli intelligence agencies.

Although supposedly “proliferation resistant” and scheduled to be monitored by IAEA inspectors, the facility is still a nuclear proliferation risk. According to LIGNET,

“Given Iran's less than stellar cooperation with the IAEA, it is not inconceivable that Iran could follow a path similar to North Korea and kick IAEA inspectors out of the country so it could exploit Bushehr to produce nuclear weapons fuel and/or remove fresh fuel rods from UN safeguards to convert into weapons fuel. Henry Sokolski, Executive Director of the Washington-based Nonproliferation Policy Education Center has assessed that in the first 18 months the plant would use between 22 to 25 tons of fuel, from which 300 kilograms of plutonium could be recovered from the waste to make from 30 to 60 nuclear bombs.”

Click HERE to read the full analysis of this story from LIGNET.com, a new Washington, DC-based intelligence analysis and forecasting service.