I have set her [Jerusalem] in the midst of the nations . . . all around her (Ezek. 5:5).
EYE ON THE MIDDLE EAST
NUCLEAR IRAN LOOMS LARGE Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz recently estimated Iran is a year or two away from building a nuclear bomb. “If they do everything to break out in terms of enrichment, it will be half a year to produce the needed materials; in terms of nuclear weapons, they are a year or two away,” he said. Steinitz’s estimate coincides with comments made by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken who predicted months ago Iran was three or four months away from being able to produce enough fissile material to build a nuclear weapon. He said the timeframe could be reduced to “a matter of weeks” if Tehran continues violating the restrictions it agreed to under the 2015 nuclear deal with the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France, and Germany. Blinken noted it would take Iran more than six months to build an actual nuclear weapon. “The bottom line is they are getting closer to the point where they would be either a threshold nuclear power, or actually a nuclear power,” he said. “That is profoundly against our interests.” The Biden administration has pledged to reverse the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration. Also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the agreement lifted economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Former President Donald Trump reimposed many of those sanctions, saying the deal was one-sided and allowed Tehran not only to continue its nuclear
PHOTO: STRINGER/REUTERS/NEWSCOM
program, but also to develop the longrange missiles used to deliver nuclear weapons. Blinken said the Biden administration is prepared to return to the deal, provided Tehran shows “strict comThe Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran pliance” with it. He also said the United States would try to expand the deal to Mahmoud Alavi even went so far as to incorporate a ban on missile develop- warn that Iran could develop nuclear ment. Iran has shown little interest in weapons if the Biden administration returning to the agreement. It has, in fails to lift the sanctions reimposed by fact, announced aggressive measures Trump. “If a cat is cornered, it may show aimed at making such a return more a kind of behavior that a free cat would difficult—or possibly aimed at increasing not,” he said. its leverage ahead of negotiations with Israel, along with Bahrain and the the United States. United Arab Emirates, has voiced strong The Iranian government recently opposition to the United States rejoining announced it would begin enriching the nuclear deal. Israel Defense Forces uranium up to 20 percent, possibly Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi said he has boosting it to 60 percent. This level is ordered the military to develop operafar beyond the 3.67 percent permitted tional plans for striking Iran’s nuclear under the nuclear deal and merely one program. technical step away from the 90 percent “Israel remains committed to preventneeded for a nuclear weapon. ing Iran from getting nuclear weapons Tehran also said it was beginning re- and its position on the nuclear agreesearch into uranium metal, which can be ment has not changed,” said Israeli Prime used to produce a nuclear warhead, and Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Israel plans to install 1,000 new centrifuges at believes that going back to the old agreethe Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. ment will pave Iran’s path to a nuclear Moreover, Tehran said it would restrict arsenal.” short-notice inspections of suspect nuclear facilities by the International by Soeren Kern, Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United a senior fellow at the Nations’ nuclear watchdog. IAEA inspecGatestone Institute, a tors recently found traces of radioactive nonpartisan foreignpolicy think tank based material at some nuclear sites in Iran. in New York City Iranian Minister of Intelligence
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