Iran far from obtaining nuclear capability: Israel’s military intelligence chief

A top Israeli military intelligence official openly stated that despite possessing enough enriched uranium Iran still has a long way to go before obtaining a nuclear bomb that can threaten Israel. In a recent interview with the Wall News service, Israel’s Military Intelligence head Maj Gen Tamir Hayman claimed that country's long-time foe is still not in a position to build a nuclear bomb despite having a "disturbing" amount of enriched uranium. "We have not seen an enriched level of uranium in volumes like this before, and it's concerning. At the same time, we perceive no development in any other part of the Iranian nuclear programme. To the best of our knowledge, they are not on the verge of obtaining a nuclear bomb right now, but it could happen in the distant future," he said during the interview as reported by The Jerusalem Post. 

Gen Hayman went on to say that the Iranians have three options: return to the old 2015 nuclear deal, break free and pursue "unprecedented defiance" in areas such as weapons and ongoing enrichment, or seek an improved accord that will allow them to achieve considerably more than in the past. While continuing to enrich, Tehran is likely to try to exhaust extended negotiations with the West, he added. While acting diplomatically towards Iran and its nuclear programme is the "right thing to do," Hayman believes that a practical, reliable military option, in addition to economic and diplomatic tools, is also the need of the hour, reported The Jerusalem Post. Since US President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and reimposed sanctions that were previously eased by the Obama-era accord, Iran's reported stockpile of enriched uranium has dominated headlines. 

US presses Iran to resume talks on its nuclear programme

Iran has repeatedly denied seeking nuclear weapons, but it is assumed that the Western Asian country continues to build the capability to do so and ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. In turn, Israel's military has requested a significant budget boost to improve its strike capabilities if it is required to attack Iran's nuclear programme, according to The Jerusalem Post. Meanwhile, last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed Iran to resume talks on its nuclear programme, citing the lack of time to rearrange the nuclear agreement. In a joint press conference with Germany's foreign minister Heiko Mass, the US Secretary said that delay in talks would fail to reproduce benefits of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) revival, reported Sputnik. It further noted that since April, the United States and Iran have held six rounds of indirect negotiations to re-establish the JCPOA, also know as the nuclear deal.  

Image: AP