Jerusalem [Israel], July 20: Iran has the capacity to produce fissile material used in nuclear weapons in 'one to two weeks', Reuters on July 20 quoted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Details of Iran 's nuclear capabilities emerged after President Masoud Pezeshkian was elected, saying he wanted to end Iran's isolation and was open to reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the West.
However, Secretary of State Blinken said "what we've seen in recent weeks and months is that Iran is really moving forward" with its nuclear program.
In 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal, which was designed to curb Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.
Speaking at a security conference in Colorado, Secretary of State Blinken said the collapse of the nuclear deal had accelerated Iran's capabilities in this area.
"Instead of taking at least a year to reach the capability to produce fissile material for a nuclear weapon , it will now probably take one to two years to reach that threshold," Blinken said.
The US Secretary of State added that Iran has not yet built nuclear weapons.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said last month that Iran was expanding its nuclear capabilities, after Tehran announced it was installing more centrifuges for uranium enrichment at its Natanz and Fordow facilities.
According to the IAEA, Iran is the only country currently outside the nuclear club that can enrich uranium to 60%, close to the threshold for nuclear weapons, while continuing to accumulate large uranium stocks at levels that could make several atomic bombs.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
