Politics Blinken: Iran could soon have material for nuclear weapons

According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Iran is on the verge of "acquiring the capability to produce fissile material for a nuclear weapon". Because the nuclear agreement with Iran has been terminated, Iran is "probably only a week or two away", said Blinken at the Aspen Security Forum security conference in Colorado. Although Iran has not yet produced a nuclear weapon, the USA is monitoring developments there very closely.

"If you put these two things together - the fissile material and an explosive device - then you have a nuclear weapon," Blinken continued. In recent weeks and months, it has been seen that Iran is making progress with its nuclear program. The country is making progress in terms of its capacity to produce fissile material. It is now observing what it could do in terms of weapons.

Termination of the nuclear agreement "one of the biggest mistakes"

Ideally, the USA and its partners should try to get a grip on the situation through diplomatic means, said Blinken. But the withdrawal from the nuclear agreement had made this difficult. For him, this withdrawal was "one of the biggest mistakes we have made in recent years".

Iran had committed to severely restricting its nuclear program in the Vienna nuclear agreement in 2015. In May 2018, then US President Donald Trump withdrew from the pact, which was intended to prevent Iran from building nuclear bombs. He also tightened sanctions. In return, Tehran greatly expanded the enrichment of uranium and restricted inspections by the Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

New Iranian president: defense doctrine does not provide for nuclear weapons

Last week, the newly elected Iranian President Massud Peseshkian asserted that his country was not building nuclear bombs. "I would like to emphasize that Iran's defense doctrine does not provide for nuclear weapons," the president wrote in the "Tehran Times" when presenting his foreign policy course. The USA should come to terms with this reality and refrain from further insinuations.