WASHINGTON, USA: Iran can produce fissile material for a nuclear weapon within “one or two weeks,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed on Friday. This alarming development coincides with the election of President Masoud Pezeshkian, who aims to end Iran’s isolation and revitalize the 2015 nuclear deal with global powers.
Blinken noted that Iran’s nuclear advancements have accelerated since the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Speaking at a security forum in Colorado, he emphasized that this withdrawal has significantly shortened Iran’s breakout time—the period required to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon—from over a year to just one or two weeks. Despite this, Blinken confirmed that Iran has not yet developed a nuclear weapon.
Iran’s acting Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri, reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official name for the 2015 agreement. “We are still a member of JCPOA,” Bagheri told CNN, emphasizing that Iran seeks to revive the existing deal rather than negotiate a new one.
Blinken’s remarks came shortly after reports that the U.S. Secret Service had increased security for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump following an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate him. This context underscores the heightened tensions and the critical importance of addressing Iran’s nuclear capabilities on the global stage.
