Lantos proposes nuclear fuel bank

U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos introduced legislation to create a nuclear fuel enrichment bank, offering Iran a way out of its nuclear impasse. “If Iran’s nuclear program is truly peaceful, Tehran should welcome an opportunity to ensure a stable supply of nuclear fuel from an internationally-supported nuclear fuel bank located in a safe nation,” Lantos (D-Calif.), chairman of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement Wednesday. “If Iran is instead building a nuclear weapon, its nefarious intentions will be quickly exposed should it refuse to participate in this important project.” Lantos, who is Jewish and a Holocaust survivor, is close to Israel and the pro-Israel community in Washington. His proposal is notable because Israel expressed wariness last year about a similar proposal from Russia.