Defiant Iran claims major steps in nuclear fuel

TEHRAN, Iran — In defi­ant swipes at its foes, Iran said Wednes­day it is dra­mat­i­cally closer to mas­ter­ing the pro­duc­tion of nuclear fuel even as the U.S. weighs tougher pres­sures and Tehran’s sus­pected shadow war with Israel brings probes far beyond the Mid­dle East.