Iran probably close to making nuclear bomb

Islam Mohamed

Iran plans a new reduction of its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers early next year.

The Islamic Republic has so far reduced its commitment to the deal four times. It plans to make the fifth reduction soon by raising the uranium enrichment level to 20%.

This level of uranium enrichment will make Iran capable of producing a nuclear bomb in a short time. It will also help it accelerate the enrichment level to 90% easily.

On December 16, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Seyed Abbas Mousavi, said his country considered the fifth reduction of its commitments to the nuclear deal with world powers.

Iran needs only 25 kilograms of enriched uranium to 90% to be able to produce a nuclear bomb, according to experts.

Tehran always says that it is ready to go back if the other side, namely European parties to the 2015 deal, honors its commitments towards it.

Iran wants these European partners to put pressure on the United States to drop some of the sanctions it imposes on the Islamic Republic.

On November 5, 2019, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, gave European states two months to honor their commitments to Iran before his country made the fifth reduction to its commitments to the deal.

Iranian officials accuse Europe of failing to help Tehran by offering economic incentives that reduce the effects of the American sanctions.

Iranian affairs specialist, Mohamed Abadi, said European parties to the deal, namely the UK, France, and Germany, would face a major challenge in 2020.

“They will find themselves incapable of maintaining presence in the deal,” he told The Reference.

At this point, he said, these countries would be obliged to take decisive action against Iran.

“The fact is that Iran is determined to keep violating the nuclear deal,” Abadi said. “There are no indications that it will follow a more disciplined course in the future.”