{"id":67315,"date":"2021-02-02T08:00:05","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T16:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/?p=67315"},"modified":"2021-02-02T06:38:19","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T14:38:19","slug":"i365-iran-may-be-weeks-away-from-developing-nuclear-bomb-sec-of-state-blinken-admits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/prophecy\/i365-iran-may-be-weeks-away-from-developing-nuclear-bomb-sec-of-state-blinken-admits\/","title":{"rendered":"I365: Iran may be \u201cWeeks\u201d away from developing Nuclear Bomb\u2019, Sec of State Blinken Admits"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nAnti-aircraft guns guarding Iran’s Natanz Nuclear Facility<\/span>
\n(Photo by Hamed Saber)
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

COGwriter<\/a><\/p>\n

Israel365News<\/em> (I365) reported the following:<\/p>\n

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Iran may be \u201cWeeks\u201d away from developing Nuclear Bomb\u2019, Sec of State Blinken Admits<\/h2>\n

February 2, 2021<\/p>\n

Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden\u2019s national security advisor, suggested an expedited timeline for rejoining the Iranian nuclear deal, which the Trump administration exited in May 2018. The comments come as the Biden administration announced its decision to select veteran diplomat Robert Malley as its special envoy on Iran talks. …<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to have to address Iran\u2019s other bad behavior, malign behavior, across the region, but from our perspective, a critical early priority has to be to deal with what is an escalating nuclear crisis as they move closer and closer to having enough fissile material for a weapon,\u201d said Sullivan, according to The Washington Post. \u201cAnd we would like to make sure that we re-establish some of the parameters and constraints around the program that have fallen away over the course of the past two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

In recent weeks, Iran has begun to accelerate its nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said last week that Tehran will not reverse the acceleration of its nuclear program until the United States lifts sanctions against the country. Iran recently announced that it had begun enriching uranium to 20 percent, in violation of the nuclear accord.<\/p>\n

The comments by Sullivan may indicate a disagreement among Biden administration officials on how to approach the Iranian nuclear program.<\/p>\n

While Biden has indicated support for rejoining the deal, the administration has stated that a precondition would be full compliance by Iran with the original agreement.<\/p>\n

Secretary of State Tony Blinken has been more skeptical of swiftly returning to the nuclear deal, saying that a U.S. return is still far off.<\/p>\n

In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, also warned that Iran could be months or even only \u201ca matter of weeks\u201d from developing a nuclear bomb if it further violates restrictions stemming from the 2015 accord. https:\/\/www.israel365news.com\/164925\/iran-weeks-away-from-developing-nuclear-bomb-sec-of-state-blinken-admits\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gone on record to state that he will not let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon. That, combined with the above, suggests that Israel may strike Iran soon.<\/p>\n

Iran is aware of Netanyahu’s position.<\/p>\n

That may be partially why it wants Europe to intervene between it and Israel’s major ally, the USA. The German press reported the following:<\/p>\n

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Iran asks EU to help negotiate US return to nuclear deal<\/h2>\n

2 February 2021<\/p>\n

Iranian Foreign Minister\u00a0Mohammad Javad Zarif said\u00a0the European Union could play a mediating role in the dispute with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program.<\/p>\n

Zarif said EU Foreign Affairs Minister Josep Borrell could coordinate a synchronized return of Washington and Tehran into a nuclear deal, in comments during a CNN interview on Monday.<\/p>\n

The minister said the necessary steps could be taken simultaneously, in response to a question on whether Iran still required the US to act first. He said Borrell could facilitate this as part of his role as coordinator of the joint commission for the nuclear agreement.<\/a><\/p>\n

“You know clearly there can be a mechanism to basically either synchronize it, or coordinate what can be done,” he told interviewer Christiane Amanpour.<\/p>\n

Borrell can “sort of choreograph the actions that are needed to be taken by the United States and the actions that are needed to be taken by Iran,” Zarif said.<\/p>\n

He said Iran could roll back its\u00a0increased uranium enrichment program<\/a> “in less than a day” if the US dropped sanctions imposed by\u00a0the Trump administration<\/a> and returned to the 2015 international nuclear agreement.<\/p>\n

“The United States needs to come back into compliance and Iran will be ready immediately to respond. The timing is not the issue,” Zarif said. https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/iran-asks-eu-to-help-negotiate-us-return-to-nuclear-deal\/a-56412131<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Iran also launched what it claims was its most powerful rocket ever yesterday:<\/p>\n

In a first since the Biden administration entered the White House<\/strong>, Iran has successfully launched its newest domestic built satellite-carrying rocket, named Zuljanah.\u00a0 …<\/p>\n

An Iranian defense ministry statement said<\/a> “the test helped Iran to achieve its most powerful rocket engine… the rocket can be launched using a mobile launching pad.” …<\/p>\n

It is\u00a0precisely the type of launch previously condemned by the prior Trump administration as a breach of past nuclear deal related commitments. The past administration had accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear capable ballistic missiles under the guise of its “peaceful” space program<\/strong>. …<\/p>\n