Wow, Israeli Defense Minister Says Iran Can Make Nuclear Weapons In 10 Weeks

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz. (Wikimedia Commons/IDF Spokesperson's Unit photographer)

JAKARTA - Israel says Iran could soon produce nuclear weapons, warning the United States of America's top brass, from Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, to the United States if Iran could take advantage of protracted negotiations back to the nuclear deal. 2015 (JCPOA).

Delayed since last June, Tehran said it would not restart negotiations, at least until Iran's election president Ebrahim Raisi takes office and forms a cabinet later this month.

In a statement to diplomats from member countries of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Iran could develop nuclear weapons within 10 weeks.

"Iran has violated all the guidelines set out in the (2015 Nuclear Deal) JCPOA and is only about 10 weeks away from acquiring weapons-grade materials required for nuclear weapons", Gantz warned, citing The Jerusalem Post Wednesday, August 4.

Iran's nuclear facility at Natanz. (Wikimedia Commons/Hamed Saber)

"Therefore, it is time to act. The world must implement economic sanctions and take operative action against Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps targeting shipping vessels", Gantz continued.

Gantz's remarks were made during a presentation with Lapid to diplomats from UN Security Council member states, as part of a push by Israel for the UN council to sanction Iran for its maritime attacks, including on the Mercer Street ship, which is run by an Israeli Company, and the Asphalt Princess in the Gulf in the past week.

To note, the members of the UN Security Council who have diplomatic representation in Israel are the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Norway, and Vietnam. Saint Vincent, the Grenadines, and Estonia do not have embassies in Israel, while Israel does not have diplomatic relations with Niger and Tunisia.

Iran itself has previously announced several times its uranium enrichment program. Last July, Iran's outgoing President Hasan Rouhani said his country could enrich uranium to 90 percent purity, weapons-grade if its nuclear reactors needed it.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Wikimedia Commons/Khamenei.ir)

However, at the same time, he also underlined, Iran is still open to communication to return to the 2015 Nuclear Agreement, limiting its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

"Iran's Atomic Energy Organization can enrich uranium by 20 percent and 60 percent and if one day our reactor needs it, it can enrich uranium to 90 percent purity", President Hassan Rouhani told a cabinet meeting, the semi-official Mehr news agency was quoted by Reuters Wednesday, July 14.

Much earlier on February 22, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at a meeting of the 88-member Assembly of Experts in Tehran, said his country would not back down in pursuing the right to a nuclear program.

Not only that, but Ali Khamenei also said Iran is capable of processing uranium up to 60 percent purity, for civilian use.

"Like any other issue, the Islamic Republic will not back down on the nuclear issue and will continue to move forward based on the country's current and future needs", he said at the time, launching Anadolu.