IRAN is a year away from developing a nuclear weapon with capabilities of blitzing Britain and America, Jeremy Hunt has said.
The UK Foreign Secretary met with other EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday in light of
Tehran’s announcement that it will begin enriching uranium above imposed limits – crucial in the development of nuclear weapons.
Mr Hunt told reporters: “Iran is a still a good year away from developing a nuclear weapon.”
Last week, a bombshell report from the renowned Institute for Science and International Security claimed that efforts are underway at a heavily-fortified facility to hugely increase its uranium stocks.
However, Mr Hunt reiterated that the Iran nuclear deal was not dead “yet”, saying there was a “small window” to save the Iran nuclear deal, as he launched a fresh bid to ease tensions in the Gulf.
He maintained his commitment to work with the European partners of the deal – France and Germany – to find a way to “preserve” the agreement.
However, he warned that if Iran acquired nuclear weapons it would become “a very, very toxic and dangerous situation”.
He added: “Iran is still a good year away from developing a nuclear weapon. We think there is still a closing, but small, window to keep the deal alive.”
The Middle East is already one of the most unstable regions in the world, but if the different parties were armed with nuclear weapons it would represent an existential threat to mankind.”
Jeremy Huny
In a joint statement issued ahead of the meeting, Britain, France and Germany reiterated their support, but added that all stakeholders should “pause and consider the possible consequences of their actions”.
Speaking ahead of Monday’s meeting, Mr Hunt said: “The Middle East is already one of the most unstable regions in the world, but if the different parties were armed with nuclear weapons it would represent an existential threat to mankind.”
Neighbouring Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt would likely want to arm themselves with nuclear weapons, with the potential to obliterate entire cities, experts have warned.
Recent statements from Saudi Arabia has made it clear the country would not accept a nuclear-armed Iran.
Iran, meanwhile, has begun exceeding limits on uranium enrichment agreed in the 2015 deal amid frustration in Tehran at the return of crippling US economic sanctions.
While the Europeans say they still support the agreement – which lifted sanctions in return for Iran curbing its nuclear programme – in practice they have found it difficult to get round the US measures.
The nuclear agreement, agreed upon in 2015, involved a pledge from Iran to reduce its uranium enrichment programme in return for a loosening of economic sanctions.
The 2015 deal caps Iran’s levels of uranium enriched to 3.67 per cent purity—called “low-enriched uranium”.
This type of uranium is only suitable for producing fuel for nuclear power reactors—at 300 kilograms.
Highly enriched uranium is needed to produce a nuclear weapon.
Obtaining fissile material – such as uranium and plutonium – is widely regarded as the most difficult task in building nuclear weapons.
Iran would need 1,050 kilograms of low-enriched uranium to make the core of one bomb.
This would need to be further enriched, to 90 per cent purity, using centrifuges until it had about 25 kilograms of what is called “highly enriched uranium.”
Experts estimate that it would take about a year for Tehran to enrich enough weapons-grade uranium for a nuclear bomb.
This time frame has been backed up by a May 2019 US Congressional Research Report.
However other weapons experts have been more hesitant to say Iran is building a nuclear weapon geared to attack.
Kelsey Davenport, the director of nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, told Foreign Policy in July: “This is not a dash to a nuclear bomb … It is a calculated move designed to gain leverage in negotiations with the Europeans, Russia, and China on sanctions relief.”
President Trump last year pulled the US out of the agreement – claiming Tehran was violating its obligations and suggesting the deal was too soft.
He also threatened to impose “the highest level of economic sanction” against Iran.
The other parties criticised Mr Trump’s decision and said they remained committed to the deal.
The United States has assessed that Tehran possesses the technological and industrial capacity to
produce nuclear weapons.
But Iran has not yet mastered all of the necessary technologies for building such weapons.
Whether Iran has a viable design for a nuclear weapon is unclear.
Although Iran claims that its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes, the program
has generated considerable concern that Tehran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program.
Last week, a Royal Navy warship intervened to drive off Iranian patrol boats after they approached a British tanker as it sailed through the Strait of Hormuz.
It prompted fears the Iranians were trying to seize a UK ship in retaliation for the detention of the Grace 1.
It was the latest in a series of incidents in the region prompting fears of a slide into all out conflict.
In recent weeks, the US has sent thousands of troops, an aircraft carrier, nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and advanced fighter jets to the Middle East.
BROKERED by the Obama White House and signed by seven world powers, the Iran nuclear deal aimed to reduce the country's ability to produce nuclear weapons.
However, Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal last year – branding it “horrible” and “one-sided”.
Iran has also pledged to breach the agreement until it receives the sanctions relief it says it is owed.
The deal was an agreement between the Islamic Republic and a group of world powers aimed at scrapping the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear weapons programme.
It saw Iran agree to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium by 98 per cent.
Enriched uranium is a critical component for making nuclear weapons and in nuclear power stations and by curbing the amount Iran produce is a way to curb the number of weapons produced.
As part of the agreement, Iran also agreed to only enrich their uranium up to 3.67 per cent over the next 15 years and they agreed to reduce their gas centrifuges for 13 years.
Gas centrifuges are used to separate different types of uranium which allows specific types to then be used to manufacture nuclear weapons or generators.
Iranian nuclear facilities were limited to a single facility with only first-generation centrifuges for 10 years and other nuclear facilities had to be converted into other use.
In addition, they were barred from building any more heavy-water faculties – a type of nuclear reactor which uses heavy water (deuterium oxide) as a coolant to maintain temperatures in the reactor.
Also under the agreement, the International Atomic Energy Agency was granted regular access to all Iranian nuclear facilities to ensure Iran maintains the deal.
If Iran abided by the deal it was promised relief from the US, European Union, and the United Nations Security Council on all nuclear-related economic sanctions.
The agreement was reached on July 14, 2015, and the world powers signed it in Vienna.
The Iran nuclear deal was an agreement between the Islamic Republic and a group of world powers aimed at scrapping the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear weapons programme.
The deal saw Iran agree to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium by 98 per cent.
Enriched uranium is a critical component for making nuclear weapons and in nuclear power stations and by curbing the amount Iran produce is a way to curb the number of weapons produced.
As part of the agreement, Iran also agreed to only enrich their uranium up to 3.67 per cent over the next 15 years and they agreed to reduce their gas centrifuges for 13 years.
Gas centrifuges are used to separate different types of uranium which allows specific types to then be used to manufacture nuclear weapons or generators.
Iranian nuclear facilities were limited to a single facility with only first-generation centrifuges for 10 years and other nuclear facilities had to be converted into other use.
In addition, they were barred from building any more heavy-water faculties – a type of nuclear reactor which uses heavy water (deuterium oxide) as a coolant to maintain temperatures in the reactor.
Also under the agreement, the International Atomic Energy Agency was granted regular access to all Iranian nuclear facilities to ensure Iran maintains the deal.
The deal said that if Iran abides by the deal it would receive relief from the US, European Union, and the United Nations Security Council on all nuclear-related economic sanctions.
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