US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Iran may be ‘weeks’ away from obtaining enough fissile material for building nuclear bombs if the violation persists. These comments were made while Blinken was talking during an interview with Andrea Michell from NBC News on Monday.
Blinken continues to state that the Biden government will move back to the Iran nuclear deal if Tehran signs an agreement. Biden is establishing a stronger and longer accord for the nuclear deal than the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) supported by the UN and signed in 2015 by the US, the UK, China, Russia, and France, the five permanent members of the Security Council, as well as Germany and the EU. It decided to remove sanctions imposed on Iran, providing it better access to the global economy, in exchange for measures hindering Iran’s development of nuclear weapons.
He continues to say that Iran must release the US nationals confined in Iranian prisons regardless of any deal. Iran lifted the restraints after the previous government of President Donald Trump retreated from the deal in 2018. Trump’s decision was supported by leaders of the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran, which has submitted proofs that Tehran was carrying on with its nuclear skills regardless of the JCPOA.
Iran refuses the claim that it has any plan to build nuclear weapons, or mass destruction weapons. Before joining the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997, Iran destroyed its chemical weapons and continued to urge that the US and Israel also destroy their stockpile of WMDs. Iran says that it will not proceed with further discussions again and put blame on the US for one-sided withdrawal.
Blinken also stated that the Biden administration will decide to impose sanctions against North Korea and Russia as it reviews its foreign policy. Blinken did not intend to impose sanctions on Moscow as it reviewed the current situation of jailed top opposition politicians and thousands of protestors.
