As Iran reportedly continues its pursuit of nuclear weapons, Iranian political analyst Emad Abshenas, editor-in-chief of the Iran Diplomatic, warned last week that the Islamic republic currently has the capability of constructing a nuclear bomb, with its final assembly requiring only minutes to hours to complete.
In an interview that aired on UAE TV last Tuesday, Abshenas claimed that though the U.S. opposes Iranian nuclear ambitions, the Islamic republic can cross the “red line” rapidly whenever it so chooses.
“[The U.S.] does not want Iran to obtain a nuclear bomb, and Iran does not want one,” he said. “However, today Iran can cross the so-called ‘red line’ and possesses everything that it needs to manufacture a nuclear bomb, without actually manufacturing one.”
“Then, it would take only minutes, or hours, to assemble the bomb,” he added.
With nuclear talks set to resume in Vienna later this month, Abshenas noted that the Iranian government is “pleased” with the current scenario as it allows Iran to enter nuclear negotiations with the United States in a far more powerful position.
“I believe that Iran will have a much more powerful hand in the coming meeting and the meeting that will follow,” he said.
“The government of [Iranian President Ebrahim] Raisi is pleased with these negotiations, because it enters the negotiations with a strong hand, unlike the government of [former Iranian President Hassan] Rouhani that came to the negotiations table only after it had lost everything.”
Iran, the largest state-sponsor of terrorism worldwide, claims its nuclear program is for energy purposes, but world leaders — including the six nations that joined the 2015 deal to limit Iran’s nuclear weapons capacity — say enriching uranium may lead to Iran’s ability to quickly create a nuclear weapon.
The Obama-led nuclear deal — deemed fatally flawed and highly one-sided by many, and from which President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 — delineates an enrichment limit of 3.67 percent.
Iran has been accused of violating the agreement, as Tehran produces more enriched uranium.
On Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency told member nations in its confidential quarterly report that Iran has an estimated stock of 39 pounds of uranium enriched to up to 60% fissile purity, an increase of almost 8 kilograms since August.
Earlier this month, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley claimed that the Biden administration could not be trusted to stop the Iranian nuclear program she deemed a threat to Israel’s existence.
She also suggested the Jewish state reject waiting for Biden’s approval to counter the Iranian threat.
Last month, U.S. special envoy for Iran Robert Malley warned that Iran successfully achieving nuclear capabilities in the near future is a realistic scenario.
“We have to prepare for a world … where Iran doesn’t have constraints on its nuclear program,” he said, adding that options are being considered to “deal with” such a scenario even as the Biden administration seeks a return to the Iran deal.
Also last month, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), along with Republican colleagues, blasted President Biden and his administration for displaying weakness in its relations with Iran, having “inexplicably” removed sanctions from Iranian missile producers, and for “empowering” terrorists.
With an eye on nuclear weapons and through support of terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis in Yemen, Iran continues to be a growing global threat to the interests of many countries.
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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