Zarif: We Had Enough Material for Eight Bombs in the Last Eight Years

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, stated in an interview on Wednesday night, April 28, that Iran had 'enough material to produce eight atomic bombs' equivalent to eight thousand kilograms of uranium over the past eight years, but 'never' did so. In an interview with Charlie Rose, a famous PBS host, which was translated and published by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting on Thursday, April 29, Zarif referred to Iran's capability for this. According to Zarif, during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, Iran 'withstood all sanctions' while having enough enriched uranium for 'the construction of eight bombs.' However, he emphasized that 'we are ready to create a climate of trust, and this can be achieved through specific actions we have accepted.' Zarif's statements come as Iranian officials have consistently denied allegations regarding efforts to acquire bomb-making knowledge, asserting that Iran's nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and electricity generation. Various opinions have been expressed by Western officials and Israel regarding Iran's capability to acquire a nuclear bomb. For instance, Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's Foreign Minister, stated that Iran needs only 12 to 18 months to achieve nuclear weapons. According to a U.S. State Department fact sheet on the Lausanne nuclear agreement, the time for Iran to produce enough fissile material for nuclear weapons is currently estimated at two to three months. The U.S. State Department claims that under the Lausanne agreement, this timeframe will be extended to at least one year for a minimum of ten years. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the Lausanne agreement 'a free path for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.' In the same interview, Zarif warned Israel: 'Netanyahu, who sits on two hundred illegal nuclear warheads, has no right to be part of the non-proliferation group in the world.' He also emphasized to U.S. officials: 'If you are concerned about nuclear weapons, why don't you pressure Israel for a nuclear-free Middle East?' On Monday, April 25, Zarif reiterated the positions of the Non-Aligned Movement at the NPT Review Conference, stressing Israel's accession to this treaty. Zarif also stated that the failure of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group 'will not be a disaster,' but it will mean 'losing a very important opportunity, as this is a very unique chance.' He added: 'The people of Iran elected a president a year and a half ago... who seeks engagement based on mutual respect. Now this opportunity has been created by the Iranian people for us as the Iranian government and for the global community.' Regarding his meeting with John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, Zarif said: 'We have made significant progress.' Zarif noted that the U.S. has retreated from its initial idea of opposing 'any kind of enrichment' in Iran and has accepted that Iran has the right to enrich uranium. He added: 'Such issues were not raised ten years ago. We proposed these ideas ten years ago, but the Bush administration did not accept them. At that time, Bush and Bolton decided not to accept our agreement with the Europeans.' The foreign ministers of Iran and the U.S. met on Monday evening at the residence of Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations. Meanwhile, according to Iranian Foreign Ministry officials, the drafting of the final agreement text between Iran and the P5+1 began on Wednesday, April 21, in Vienna, with the first topic being how to lift Iran's sanctions, which Abbas Araghchi, a senior member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team, described as 'complex.' According to IRNA, Iran and Europe will resume negotiations for drafting the comprehensive agreement text starting Friday. This round of negotiations will involve Abbas Araghchi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran's deputy foreign ministers, and Helga Schmid, the deputy head of the EU's foreign policy.