Iran’s Knowhow To Build Nukes Should Be Wake-Up Call For Biden – US Senator
US Senator Joni Ernst says remarks by a top Iranian official about Tehran’s capability to produce nuclear weapons should be a wake-up call for the administration.
US Senator Joni Ernst says remarks by a top Iranian official about Tehran’s capability to produce nuclear weapons should be a wake-up call for the administration.
On July 17, Kamal Kharrazi, a senior adviser to had said Iran has the technical capability to build a nuclear bomb.
The Republican senator from Iowa told Iran International’s Arash Aalaei on Monday that "I believe his comments should be a wake-up call for President Biden's administration and for the rest of the Middle East.”
About the bicameral effort to create a united front against “Iranian aggression” in the Middle East, she said, “I have the DEFEND Act which will bring the Abraham Accords countries together, some of our other partners, friends and allies in the region, and provide a collaborative effort to provide a protective defense against Iran.”
The Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defenses (DEFEND) Act is a joint effort by Congress to develop a strategy for signatories of the Abraham Accords and other countries to combat Iranian destabilizing activities threatening peace and security in the Middle East.
CENTCOM Commander General Michael Kurilla and IDF Chief of Staff Lt General Aviv Kochavi discussed on Sunday, July 17, “the importance of an integrated air and missile defense system.”
“It's very worrisome that they have the technology and they can move forward so quickly. So, we need to be aware of this and we need to know and understand that Iran is never going to operate in our best interest," Ernst noted.
Mohammad Marandi, who was a member of Tehran’s team in the Vienna nuclear talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal known as JCPOA, was quoted by Rouydad24 website in Iran as having told Sputnik, that reports by Western media about the demand to remove the Revolutionary Guard from the US list of Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) is not true.
“This issue was never a pre-condition…What has been on the table is the [US] track record in partial implementation of the JCPOA and its ultimate violation. Iran deems this unacceptable and Washington’s unwillingness to remove sanctions,” Marandi was quoted as saying.
The Sputnik website is not accessible in most countries after the invasion of Ukraine and Iran International cannot verify Rouydad24’s exact quotations, but a website in Iran would hardly dare to be inaccurate in reflecting the words of an important official.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Kowsari, an IRGC officer and an influential member of parliament said Monday that, “It would not be acceptable at all that the Guards…remain under sanctions.” He also demanded “guarantees” that “all sanctions be removed” and rejected any notion of a selective approach in the matter.
Kowsari went on to accuse the US of using the issue of IRGC’s terror designation to refuse providing “permanent” guarantees to Iran. “At least there should be guarantees for the two remaining years of the Biden administration,” he said.
After the Vienna talks stalled in March, reports emerged that Tehran was demanding the delisting of the IRGC and Washington’s position was that the issue was not related to nuclear sanctions, which it had agreed to suspend or remove.
Lately, the issue of guarantees is again being raised by Iran, which if applied to assurances for full economic and financial access by entities sanctioned for terrorism or human rights violations, basically means the removal of all sanctions.
US administration officials and President Joe Biden himself have said that a final offer has been made to Iran months ago and it is up to them to decide. At the same time, during his trip to the Middle East last week Biden pledged bot with Israel and Saudi Arabia not to allow Iran to become a nuclear weapons state.
Marandi went on to argue that the United States is in not “in a strong position to act against Iran,” and the best option for them is to come to an agreement to unlock Iran’s oil flow, which they need.
The US-born Iranian official who plays a role in reflecting Iran’s positions in English language with international media, also spoke about reports about the creation of an air-defense alliance between Israel and Arab states concerned about Iranian missile and drone threats. He reportedly told Sputnik that even if such a system is set up it cannot pose a challenge for Iran.
“There is no regional country that can be considered Iran’s rival. Our only rival is America. Israel and Saudi Arabia are small and weak. Iran is the most militarily advanced country in West Asia,” Marandi claimed.
“It is no secret that we have the technical capabilities to manufacture a nuclear bomb, but we have no decision to do so," Kamal Kharrazi, the head of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations and senior adviser to Khamenei told Al Jazeera's Arabic service.
"In a few days we were able to enrich uranium up to 60% and we can easily produce 90% enriched uranium,” Kharrazi said while stressing that Iran has the technical means to produce a nuclear bomb but has not decided to build one.
This is not the first time that Iranian officials say Iran is a nuclear threshold country butdoes not want or need a nuclear weapon and is only enriching uranium for energy and other civilian uses. They often add that Iran's supreme leader has declared that the production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons are all forbidden under Islam (haram).
Khamenei’s fatwa, or religious edict, against the acquisition or manufacture of nuclear weapons was first revealed in a statement from Iran to the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) in Vienna in August 2005.
But former Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi in February 2021 hinted that the fatwa could change. Former Iranian diplomat and IRGC brigadier-general Amir Mousavi also in an interview with Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television in January 2021 had said fatwas are not permanent and are issued in accordance with developing circumstances. “Therefore, I believe that if the Americans and Zionists act in a dangerous manner, the [Khamenei] fatwa might change.”
Indirect talks between Iran and President Joe Biden
's administration, which aims to bring both Washington and Tehran back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear pact, officially known as the JCPOA, have been in limbo since March. Tehran and Washington both put the onus of breaking the deadlock on each other.
"There are no American guarantees relating to preserving the nuclear deal, and this will freeze any possible agreement," Kharrazi told Al Jazeera. He was referring to Iran’s demands to receive guarantees that the US would not leave the JCPOA and also lift all sanctions impacting its economy.
The advisor to Iran's Leader further said that direct talks with Washington were difficult “due to the thick wall of mistrust and American policies” while insisting that Tehran would never negotiate over its missile program and regional policy, as demanded by the US and its allies in the Middle East. “Accepting this would mean capitulating [to their demands].”
He also said that speaking of “Middle Eastern NATO” -- a military alliance in the Middle East that similar to NATO -- was “a superficial notion” and that “Saudi Arabia has stressed that such a plan is not on the agenda.”
Kharrazi stressed that the Islamic Republic would directly respond against Israel should its security be targeted. "Targeting our security from neighboring countries will be dealt with a response from us to these countries and a direct response to Israel. We have held extensive drills targeting Israel's depth in case our sensitive facilities are targeted."
But since mid-2020, Israel has reportedly targeted Iran’s sensitive facilities and top personnel several times and Iran has not responded directly.
The US and Israel recently agreed to take a joint stance against Iran's nuclear program and involvement in regional conflicts and said they would work together to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The US and Saudi Arabia also agreed on July 15 on preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon during US President Joe Biden’s visit to Riyadh.
