Iran can make fissile material for a bomb 'in about 12 days' - U.S. official

Authored by reuters.com and submitted by Outlander_-_
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[1/2] Colin Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, testifies as Department of Defense Inspector General Robert Storch and Director for Operations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II listens, during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on oversight of U.S. military support to Ukraine, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Iran could make enough fissile for one nuclear bomb in "about 12 days," a top U.S. Defense Department official said on Tuesday, down from the estimated one year it would have taken while the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was in effect.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl made the comment to a House of Representatives hearing when pressed by a Republican lawmaker why the Biden administration had sought to revive the deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)

"Because Iran's nuclear progress since we left the JCPOA has been remarkable. Back in 2018, when the previous administration decided to leave the JCPOA it would have taken Iran about 12 months to produce one bomb's worth of fissile material. Now it would take about 12 days," Kahl, the third ranking Defense Department official, told lawmakers.

"And so I think there is still the view that if you could resolve this issue diplomatically and put constraints back on their nuclear program, it is better than the other options. But right now, the JCPOA is on ice," Kahl added.

U.S. officials have repeatedly estimated Iran's breakout time - how long it would take to acquire the fissile material for one bomb if it decided to - at weeks but have not been as specific as Kahl was.

While U.S. officials say Iran has grown closer to producing fissile material they do not believe it has mastered the technology to actually build a bomb.

Under the 2015 deal, which then-U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018, Iran had reined in its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions.

Trump reimposed U.S. sanctions on Iran, leading Tehran to resume previously banned nuclear work and reviving U.S., European and Israeli fears that Iran may seek an atomic bomb. Iran denies any such ambition.

The Biden administration has tried but failed to revive the pact over the last two years.

Reporting By Idrees Ali; Writing by Arshad Mohammed Editing by Alistair Bell

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Iyellkhan on March 1st, 2023 at 20:21 UTC »

Well that explains why Israel seems to be planning for a strike.

Also makes one wonder if we'll see a nuclear test soon or not. After all, you dont really have a legit nuclear deterrence (or offensive capability for that matter) anyone will believe without a test.

kkdogs19 on March 1st, 2023 at 19:17 UTC »

I guess it will just end up like North Korea. The West will pretend that jukes change nothing publicallg but behind the scenes accept the new reality.

Outlander_-_ on March 1st, 2023 at 18:31 UTC »

What do you all think this means for Israel and Iranian tensions?

Do you think Iran will receive support from China and Russia?

What does a nuclear armed Iran mean for the balance of the Middle East?