When the 2015 nuclear deal went into effect, the Islamic Republic was about a year away from being able to produce a single nuclear device. Now Tehran—by serially violating the terms of the agreement—is closer than ever from having the capability to produce not just one, but two, atomic bombs. Yossi Kuperwasser explains:
It is clear that Iran is determined to continue rapidly expanding its capacity to produce nuclear weapons in a short period. The amount of enriched uranium in its possession and the current enrichment capacity already would allow it, if it so wishes, to enrich the uranium to a military level and produce fissile material for two nuclear explosive devices. Whereas a sufficient amount for the first nuclear explosive device can be produced in a little more than three months, within an additional two months Iran would have the required quantity for the production of the second explosive device.
Installing the advanced centrifuges [it is now trying to develop] at the enrichment site could shorten by a few weeks the time required for military-level enrichment.
All this is happening as Iran continues to develop long-range missiles that will allow it to launch nuclear weapons not only against Israel but also against targets in Europe. At the same time, Europe, China, and Russia ignore the U.S. attempts to renew international sanctions against Iran. They are determined to allow the Iranian regime to continue violating the nuclear deal.
It’s worth remembering that Iran’s former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, has referred to Israel as a “one-bomb country.”
Read more on Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs: https://jcpa.org/article/the-convergence-of-the-u-s-elections-and-irans-first-nuclear-bomb/