Iran Nearing Nuclear Weapons Capability, Says France
The French intelligence chief has asserted that the potential for nuclear proliferation in Iran is emerging as one of the most significant threats. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Proliferation is increasingly recognized as a significant threat to the West, according to the head of French intelligence.
Nicolas Lerner, the chief of the French Foreign Intelligence Service, asserted that Iran could obtain a nuclear weapon within a matter of months. He made this statement during a press briefing in Paris on Friday, standing alongside Richard Moore, the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service. Lerner characterized Tehran’s nuclear program as a major concern for both Paris and London.
“Our services are working side by side to face what is undoubtedly one of the threats, if not to say the most critical threat, in the coming months – the possible atomic proliferation in Iran,” he stated, as reported by Reuters.
Moore echoed these sentiments, noting that Iran’s “nuclear ambitions continue to threaten all of us.”
For a long time, Iran's uranium enrichment activities have been perceived by the West as a clandestine effort to build nuclear weapons. Tensions escalated following the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Under this agreement, which was finalized three years earlier, Tehran had committed to limit its nuclear program in return for some sanctions relief.
The then U.S. President Donald Trump contended that the deal was ineffective in stopping Iran's nuclear pursuits, and subsequent diplomatic efforts to restore the agreement have not yielded success.
Iran argues that its nuclear activities are intended for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop a weapon. However, since the breakdown of the agreement, Tehran has ramped up its uranium enrichment to 60%, as reported by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency. To qualify for use in a nuclear weapon, enrichment must exceed 90%.
The agency also reported this week that Iran would start using thousands of advanced centrifuges for uranium enrichment.
Earlier this month, a senior advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Kamal Kharrazi, confirmed that Tehran possesses “the technical capabilities necessary to produce nuclear weapons.” He emphasized that while there are no current plans to pursue this path, “if the survival of Iran comes under serious threat, we reserve the right to reconsider.”
The U.S. has expressed strong apprehensions regarding Iran's nuclear program, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicating in July that Iran would require “probably one or two weeks” to generate enough weapons-grade material for a nuclear bomb.
The Middle East is currently experiencing heightened tensions, particularly with Iran and Israel engaged in an ongoing standoff over the situation in Gaza.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
Nicolas Lerner, the chief of the French Foreign Intelligence Service, asserted that Iran could obtain a nuclear weapon within a matter of months. He made this statement during a press briefing in Paris on Friday, standing alongside Richard Moore, the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service. Lerner characterized Tehran’s nuclear program as a major concern for both Paris and London.
“Our services are working side by side to face what is undoubtedly one of the threats, if not to say the most critical threat, in the coming months – the possible atomic proliferation in Iran,” he stated, as reported by Reuters.
Moore echoed these sentiments, noting that Iran’s “nuclear ambitions continue to threaten all of us.”
For a long time, Iran's uranium enrichment activities have been perceived by the West as a clandestine effort to build nuclear weapons. Tensions escalated following the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Under this agreement, which was finalized three years earlier, Tehran had committed to limit its nuclear program in return for some sanctions relief.
The then U.S. President Donald Trump contended that the deal was ineffective in stopping Iran's nuclear pursuits, and subsequent diplomatic efforts to restore the agreement have not yielded success.
Iran argues that its nuclear activities are intended for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop a weapon. However, since the breakdown of the agreement, Tehran has ramped up its uranium enrichment to 60%, as reported by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency. To qualify for use in a nuclear weapon, enrichment must exceed 90%.
The agency also reported this week that Iran would start using thousands of advanced centrifuges for uranium enrichment.
Earlier this month, a senior advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Kamal Kharrazi, confirmed that Tehran possesses “the technical capabilities necessary to produce nuclear weapons.” He emphasized that while there are no current plans to pursue this path, “if the survival of Iran comes under serious threat, we reserve the right to reconsider.”
The U.S. has expressed strong apprehensions regarding Iran's nuclear program, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicating in July that Iran would require “probably one or two weeks” to generate enough weapons-grade material for a nuclear bomb.
The Middle East is currently experiencing heightened tensions, particularly with Iran and Israel engaged in an ongoing standoff over the situation in Gaza.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
