US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Iran has made progress on developing fissile material, a key component for a nuclear weapon, in recent months.
They said Iran is talking more publicly about obtaining a nuclear bomb. This rhetoric has increased since Iran’s unsuccessful missile attack on Israel in April.
While Iran insists its nuclear program is purely civilian, the US believes its supreme leader has held off on pursuing an actual bomb in the past.
However, removing restrictions from the 2015 nuclear deal has shortened Iran’s “breakout time” for a bomb from over a year to just 1-2 weeks now, according to Blinken.
Officials are watching closely for any signals Iran may be advancing work on the weapons design aspects of a bomb, in addition to fissile material enrichment. Sullivan said Iran’s increased bomb rhetoric following the April attacks was noteworthy.
Source: AP News (https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-weapons-sullivan-blinken-2ba2de90dce5047c4a698b2d57a90e4b)
