Israel's Military Intelligence Chief: Iran Won't Get A Nuclear Bomb Anytime Soon

Chief of Israeli Military Intelligence Major General Tamir Haym. (Wikimedia Commons/IDF Spokesperson's Unit photographer)

JAKARTA - Israel's intelligence chief Major General Tamir Hayman said Iran was far from possessing a nuclear bomb, despite being able to enrich uranium to unprecedented levels.

According to Hayman, while levels of enriched uranium are 'disturbing', Iran still has a long way to go before acquiring a working nuclear bomb that could threaten Israel.

"There's an amount of (uranium) enriched in volumes that we've never seen before and that's disturbing. At the same time, in all other aspects of the Iranian nuclear project, we're not seeing progress," Hayman said in an interview with Walla! News, as quoted by The Jerusalem Post, October 2.

"Not in weapons projects, not in finance, not in other sectors. Therefore the remaining two years remain unchanged. Because even from the moment you have an escape, there is still a long way to go before a nuclear bomb," he continued.

“To our knowledge, the direction has not changed and they are not headed for a breakthrough. They're not headed for the bomb right now. Maybe in the distant future," Hayman said.

Iran faces three choices, he said, return to the previous 2015 Nuclear Deal, exit and go for an "unprecedented insurgency", including in weapons and continued enrichment, or go for a better deal in which they would achieve far more than they did. that they had in the past.

Hayman said that while the 'right thing to do' was, acting on the side of diplomacy vis-a-vis Iran and its nuclear program, there had to be practical and reliable military options along with economic and diplomatic tools.

"Let's agree on the fact that the right thing to do is to take Iran in the direction that we want on the diplomatic side, the pursuit of a better deal," he said.

Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons, but it is believed it is continuing to develop the capability to produce such weaponry, as well as ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

On the same occasion, Hayman also warned Iran regarding military strength and capabilities, including the Israeli Air Force, against Tehran.

According to Hayman, despite Tehran deploying advanced anti-aircraft missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and more, they continue to have difficulty dealing with attacks by the Israeli Air Force.

"The assassination of Qassem Soleimani, a former commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, is one of the most significant and significant events of my time," he said, adding the assassination made a significant contribution to Israel's national security.

To note, Soleimani was killed in an American drone strike against Baghdad Airport in January 2020 along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of the Iraqi paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces.