Iran nuclear chief: We have technical means to produce atom bomb
The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, said Monday that Tehran has the technical ability to produce an atomic bomb, but it does not intend to do so, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
These statements come after the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA, Rafael Grossi, announced that the agency has no information proving that Iran is building an atomic bomb, but the efforts and the way Tehran works indicate that it is moving in this direction.
Grossi said in an interview with CNN, last Monday, that “our access is limited and we do not know what is going on with the Iranian nuclear program,” explaining that “the truth is that Tehran has closed some cameras, and we will not know what is going on until we have full access.”
Grossi did not give a clear answer to the questions about how close Iran is to the atomic bomb, and only said that Iran is moving towards 60% enrichment, adding that “this level is very close to 90% enrichment, with which a nuclear weapon can be made,” according to the website. Iran International.
While stressing that “confidence cannot be built on words”, Tehran must allow the inspectors access, saying: “Iran’s nuclear negotiations have reached a critical stage, and the scope of the agreement is becoming narrower and more difficult every day.”
Mohammad Eslami had announced that Tehran would not operate the cameras of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which it removed in June, until the 2015 nuclear agreement is revived, according to what was quoted by the semi-official Iranian news agency “Tasnim” last Monday.
He said: “We will not operate the cameras of the IAEA until the return of the other side of the nuclear agreement.”
It is noteworthy that Iran had told the International Atomic Energy Agency that it had removed its equipment, including 27 cameras installed under the agreement, after the agency passed a resolution criticizing Tehran in June.
The 2015 nuclear deal imposes restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.
However, former US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the agreement in 2018, and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran, which responded by violating the terms of the agreement regarding restrictions on its nuclear activities.
It is noteworthy that indirect talks between Tehran and the Washington on reviving the 2015 agreement have been stalled since March.
