The World - News from March 31, 1989

Iraq, whose first attempt at acquiring nuclear capability was destroyed by Israeli warplanes in 1981, is secretly engaged in a crash program to build nuclear warheads for use with a strategic missile also under development, according to Israeli sources quoted by the Washington Post. The goal of the secret program is to produce and test such a warhead with the next two years, the sources told the Post. The Iraqi program, which was launched after the Israeli air force bombed the Osirak nuclear reactor eight years ago, is using the 25 pounds of enriched uranium left over from the reactor, they said.