Iran may be running out of yellowcake

According to a new study by the Ploughshares-funded Institute for Science and International Security, Iran may be close to exhausting its supply of uranium oxide, or yellowcake, raising questions about the commercial viability of its nuclear program. The study, authored by David Albright, Jacqueline Shire and Paul Brannan, said there was scant evidence Iran supplemented its dwindling supply with domestic uranium mining. If Iran manages to maintain operations at Esfahan into 2010, it could mean it has acquired ore from other sources, despite UN Security Council sanctions.