White House is worried Iran could develop a nuclear weapon in weeks
April 27, 2022, 6:19 am

White House is worried Iran could develop a nuclear weapon in weeks

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks in the James S Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House. (Reuters)

The Arab News reported, citing media agencies, US press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday (Apr 26) that the White House is worried Iran could develop a nuclear weapon in weeks. This comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted earlier in the day the country has accelerated its nuclear program.

Psaki said: “Yes it definitely worries us,” adding the time needed for Iran to produce a nuclear weapon is down from about a year.

Earlier, Blinken said the US still believes a return to a nuclear deal is the best path with Iran, amid a prolonged standoff in talks.

Facing criticism of the deal during an appearance before Congress, Blinken called the 2015 agreement imperfect but better than the alternatives.

Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: “We continue to believe that getting back into compliance with the agreement would be the best way to address the nuclear challenge posed by Iran and to make sure that an Iran that is already acting with incredible aggression doesn’t have a nuclear weapon."

The White House is worried Iran could develop a nuclear weapon in weeks (Photo: Pixabay)

He said: “We’ve tested the other proposition, which was pulling out of the agreement, trying to exert more pressure.”

Iran imposes sanctions on 15 US officials as nuclear talks stall

The result, he said, is that the “breakout time” for Iran to develop a nuclear bomb if it so chooses is “down to a matter of weeks” after the deal pushed it beyond a year.

Former president Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement reached under his predecessor Barack Obama and instead imposed sweeping sanctions, including trying to stop other nations from buying Iranian oil.

President Joe Biden’s administration has been engaged in more than a year of indirect talks in Vienna on reviving the agreement, which had promised Iran a relief from sanctions in return for major restrictions on its nuclear work.

President Raisi says Iran will not give up its 'nuclear rights'

Both US and Iranian officials say that most points have been settled. Disputes appear to include Iran’s demand that Biden undo Trump’s designation of the clerical state’s powerful Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.

Source: arabnews

Vladimir Putin and Antonio Guterres meet in Kremlin to discuss Ukraine 108 ex-bureaucrats write to Indian Prime Minister Modi to end politics of hate

Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.