Iran could have enough material for nuclear breakout within 'weeks': Top US officials

The United States, Iran as well as other signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal had resumed discussions in Vienna on Tuesday to reactivate the accord. As the Vienna talks on the Iran nuclear deal is in progress, top US officials told senators during a closed-door briefing that Iran could generate sufficient, highly enriched material to make a nuclear weapon in "weeks", Sputnik reported.  

Further, the US Senate has voiced contradiction over conclusions about the implications of the briefing, with some Democrats viewing it as a symbol of the importance of the Vienna discussions in reviving the JCPOA, while Republicans continue to argue that the Iran agreement is a "bad deal" and it should not be revisited. 

'No way to stop Iran’s progress other than re-enacting this deal'

After the briefing, Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Middle East department, told Politico, “I see no way to stop Iran’s progress other than re-enacting this deal.” He went on to say, “I left the briefing more certain than ever that we better be serious about trying to get back into an agreement.” 

During a separate interview with Jewish Insider, Murphy said, “The assessment of where the program – where Iran’s nuclear program is right now – is downright scary.” He also added that the US assesses Iran's nuclear breakout time to be around eight weeks. The US senator further believes, “There are significant gaps between the two sides.” 

US President Joe Biden's party looks to be split on this issue

In addition to this, US President Joe Biden's party looks to be split on this issue, with New Jersey Democrat and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez voicing doubts about the JCPOA's viability. It is worth noting that Senate Republicans, who hold half of the chamber's 100 seats, have also put pressure on the Biden administration to end discussions. A group of 33 Senate Republicans, headed by Florida Senator Marco Rubio as well as Texas Senator Ted Cruz, sent Biden a letter on Wednesday demanding that any Iran deal be submitted to Congress for approval. 

Moreover, Iran's breakout schedule — the time it takes to manufacture enough enriched uranium for a weapon — has continued to shrink, according to the assessment of Tehran’s nuclear capability, as per Arab News.

Furthermore, Iran, Germany, as well as the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), namely Russia, the United Kingdom, China, the United States, and France, had signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), generally known as the Iran nuclear deal, in 2015. Tehran agreed to restrict its nuclear development and place it under the total control of the International Atomic Energy Agency in exchange for the easing of sanctions placed on Iran's nuclear program by the UN Security Council, the European Union, and the United States. 

Image: AP