USA: Iran has obtainable splittable material for atomic weapon
When do the Iranian Mullahs obtain the Bomb? According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Teheran is getting closer. As Blinken states, Iran currently possesses fissile material for an atomic weapon. The current situation is "not good," he added.
The Iranian regime is only "one or two weeks" away from acquiring fissile material for an atomic weapon, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "Because the Atom Agreement was terminated, Iran is not just a year away from acquiring the capability to produce fissile material for an atomic weapon, but now likely only one or two weeks," Blinken said at the Aspen Security Conference in the US state of Colorado.
Blinken added that Iran has not yet developed atomic weapons. However, the situation is "not good," the Chief Diplomat stated, and the US government is closely monitoring the development in this matter. In recent months, it has become clear that the Tehran government is advancing its atomic program, Blinken continued. He confirmed the US goal of preventing Iran from possessing an atomic weapon. To achieve this goal, the US will continue to "prefer the diplomatic path."
The US, France, Great Britain, Germany, Russia, and China signed an Atom Agreement with Iran in 2015, aimed at preventing Tehran from developing atomic weapons. However, the US, under its then-President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018. Since then, Iran has gradually ceased to comply with its obligations. Negotiations on reviving the Atom Agreement have been unsuccessful.
The elected Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has recently expressed his support for constructive talks with Europe to end his country's isolation. He also reportedly seeks to revive the Atom Agreement.
Atomic Energy Agency concerned
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced in mid-June that Iran was expanding its atomic program. The IAEA referred to an Iranian announcement of plans to install additional uranium enrichment cascades in the Natanz and Fordo uranium enrichment plants.
Iran has long denied any intention of producing atomic weapons. According to the IAEA, Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state with over 60% enriched uranium and large uranium reserves. The country is thus on the path to enriching uranium to the 90% required for atomic weapons. Only 3.67% enriched uranium is needed for nuclear power plants.
Blinken's recent statements at the Aspen Security Conference suggest that Iran is now only "one or two weeks" away from acquiring fissile material for an atomic weapon, due to the termination of the Atom Agreement in 2018. Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, emphasized that the current situation is "not good" and that the US government is closely monitoring Iran's atomic program development. The US withdrawal from the 2015 Atom Agreement, signed by six world powers and Iran, has led to Iran's non-compliance with its obligations, making it challenging to revive the agreement through negotiations.
