FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has informed US lawmakers that Iran is "terribly close" to developing nuclear weapons during a hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee, CNN reported.
"They are weeks, a small number of weeks away from enriching it to weapons-grade uranium," Wright asserted, referring to Iran's current uranium stockpiles.
According to Wright, Iran maintains a stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60%, with CNN noting that weapons-grade uranium must be enriched to approximately 90%.
"There is still a weaponization process that happens after that, but they are quite close to building nuclear weapons," he said.
Enriching uranium above a certain threshold, around 90%, means it can be used to create nuclear weapons.
Asked by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal about the status of the other 11 tons of uranium reported by Iran, Wright said enrichment levels ranged up to 60%, although Iran has "a lot" of uranium enriched to 20%, which he called "very concerning."
Blumenthal then pressed Wright on whether President Donald Trump should take action against all of Iran's uranium stockpiles to stop enrichment.
"I think this is a wise strategy. Ultimately, the goal is to prevent future uranium enrichment. Yes, to have a safe world, we need to end their nuclear program," Wright said.
Multiple Trump administration officials have cited Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium as part of the rationale for war with Iran. Trump has also said he wants Iran to hand over its enriched uranium in order to reach a deal to end the conflict.
Lini një Përgjigje