Iran may be amping up nuclear weapon work: NYTimes

Iran might be accelerating its nuclear work, The New York Times reported today, citing a soon-to-be-released report by international nuclear inspectors.

According to the report, "Iran has installed hundreds of new centrifuges in recent months and may also be speeding up production of nuclear fuel while negotiations with the United States and its allies have ground to a near halt," The NYTimes reported, citing both diplomats and experts who were briefed on the investigation's findings.

The centrifuges are not actually operating, however, as Iran's current focus is on enriching Uranium to a 20 percent purity level, one that experts believe is close to what is needed for nuclear weapons, The NYTimes reported.

In retaliation, The International Atomic Energy Agency has put more pressure on Iran to address suspicions about their nuclear weapons research, Reuters reported today.

The IAEA plans on asking Iran for access to facilities believed to host evidence of nuclear weapon research, though experts are skeptical, stating that in most probability, the site wouldn't already be cleaned up.

Iran has repeatedly denied accusations that it is developing nuclear weapon technology, stating instead that it is only looking at nuclear energy for civilian use. However its refusal for transparency has led to the nation being slammed with sanctions.

Iran is expected to be a major issue in the upcoming US presidential race.