JERUSALEM – Firebrand Iranian lawmakers on Friday warned that Iran has enough uranium to make “several” nuclear bombs, after the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog warned that Iran declared that it possessed nuclear weapons.
“In my opinion, we have achieved nuclear weapons, but we have not announced it. That means our policy is to have a nuclear bomb, but the policy we have declared is now within the framework of the JCPOA. Yes,” Ahmad Bakshaesh al-Destani told an Iran-based news agency. According to an article published by London-based independent news agency Iran International on Friday, outlet Ruidad 24 reported.
JCPOA stands for Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and is the official name of the Iran nuclear deal. President Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA in 2018 because his administration argued that the deal failed to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons.
The JCPOA provides major economic sanctions relief to Iran in exchange for guarantees that Iran will not build nuclear weapons within a limited period of time.
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Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses the media during parliamentary elections in Tehran on May 10, 2024. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Mr. Aldestani, who was re-elected as Iran's sub-parliamentary member in March, said, “The reason is that when countries want to confront other countries, their capabilities need to be compatible, and it is impossible for Iran to be compatible with the United States or Israel. , because it would mean Iran would have to have nuclear weapons.” ”
An Iranian lawmaker said: “In a situation where Russia attacks Ukraine, Israel attacks Gaza, and Iran is an ardent supporter of the resistance front, it is only natural that the containment system requires Iran to possess a nuclear bomb.'' But Iran has declared that that is a separate matter.'' Fox News Digital referred media questions to Iran's Foreign Ministry in Tehran and its mission to the United Nations in New York.
Experts on Iran's illegal nuclear weapons program warned of Mr. Aldestani's seemingly speculative statements. Jason Brodsky, policy director for the U.S.-based Iran Opposition Alliance, told Fox News Digital: “Mr. Aldestani is just a member of Congress and is not part of the core of the regime's nuclear policy-making circles. are interesting, but I think they need to be considered properly given his access and position.”
Just two days before Aldestani's announcement, Kamal Khalazi, chairman of Iran's Foreign and Strategic Council, told Al Jazeera Network Qatar, “Two years ago, in an interview with Al Jazeera TV, I said that Iran has absorption capacity.'' announced,” he said. And although Iran still has the ability to build a nuclear bomb, we have not made the decision to build one. However, if Iran's interests are threatened in this way, we may change this principle. Iran has announced that it may change our military doctrine regarding nuclear facilities if our nuclear facilities are attacked. ” The US-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) translated and published a May 8 interview with Karaj.
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Kamal Karazi speaks during a panel discussion on March 27, 2022 (Karim Jaafar/AFP, Getty Images)
Brodsky said: “Kharaj's comments are part of an increasingly loud chorus of threats by Iranian officials to change Iran's nuclear doctrine in the event of an Israeli attack.'' “The country is giving Iran leeway to make these threats as it wishes.” This is to prevent Western policymakers from launching a pressure campaign against Tehran. ”
Critics of the Biden administration's Iran policy argue that the White House's strategy of de-escalation and containment, targeting Iran's nuclear program, has backfired. The Iranian regime, the world's worst state sponsor of international terrorism, is moving with alarming speed to acquire a usable nuclear arsenal.
Nuclear security alarms are ringing over Iran's illegal nuclear development program in Europe. FOX News Digital has obtained an April intelligence report for Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia.
The German intelligence report notes that “Iran's intensive procurement efforts for the Islamic Republic in Germany continue.” The German experts added that “proliferation-related activities by Iran in support of Iran's nuclear and missile programs and to circumvent existing sanctions can still be assumed.”
In response to an interview with FOX News Digital, a US State Department spokesperson referred to Matthew Miller's comments on May 9th about Kamal Karaj's remarks, saying, “Those comments are irresponsible, but the president and secretary As we have made clear, the United States will certainly act.” In any case, we continue to use a variety of weapons to achieve our goal of never having a nuclear weapon, but ultimately we believe that diplomacy is our only option.The best way to achieve a sustainable and effective solution, but given the overall escalation, including the failure to cooperate with the IAEA. [International Atomic Energy Agency] – We are far from anything like that now. ”
David Wormser, former senior adviser for nonproliferation and Middle East strategy to former Vice President Dick Cheney, told Fox News Digital, “The distance from where Iran is said to be to the equipment that will actually produce the product is still unknown.'' It's far away,” he said. We're right, and that's totally a proviso, but we know that North Korea has had interactions with Iranians, and we know that relations with North Korea go back many years. ”
Communist North Korea previously helped build an illegal nuclear reactor in Syria. The Israeli Air Force destroyed the reactor in 2007.
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David Wormser, former senior advisor for nonproliferation and Middle East strategy to former Vice President Dick Cheney, in Washington, D.C. (David Howells/Corbis via Getty Images)
“We have to expect surprises because we are inherently going to discover that intelligence agencies are generally imperfect and opaque because so much is hidden,” Wormser said. In the Iraq War, I realized that I had imagined there was more than there actually was. And there was more than was commonly understood – but Iraq was actually very It's a rare situation, and the plans of Pakistan, Russia, China, India, and even South Africa were all further ahead of what we expected when they were exposed. The same was true.”
The non-proliferation expert said: “Overall, I doubt Iran still has nuclear weapons, but whether its program is in a stable state, or even in a stable state with regard to weaponization. “I also doubt that Iran is promoting nuclear weapons and has nuclear weapons.” So, while there may still be some intention to go all the way, it will be short-lived, and of course the impact of the Iranian bomb will be devastating for the region, Israel's survival and status. America's power on earth. ”
The recent uproar by administration officials and members of Congress over Iran's nuclear weapons program comes after International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi said on May 8 that the agency was “working very hard.” This is consistent with the statement made. [Iran] to prevent [nuclear weaponization] Don't let it happen. ”
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The Washington, D.C.-based Institute for the Study of War wrote that this “suggests that Iran has already acquired or is close to acquiring the capability to acquire nuclear weapons.”
Benjamin Weinthal reports on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Europe. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal and email him at benjamin.weinthal@fox.com.