Fears of a conflagration in the Middle East are great following Iran's attack on Israel. Also because the mullahs' regime is probably close to a nuclear bomb.
Berlin - It was an unprecedented attack by Iran on Israel when the mullahs fired drones at the Jewish state over the weekend. The fear of a spiral of violence is great. “The situation is extremely dangerous,” said expert Ulrich Schlie, Professor of Security and Strategy Research at the Institute for Political Science and Sociology at the University of Bonn
IPPEN.MEDIA
on Monday (April 15):
“
A lot will depend on whether Iran decides on further provocations and how his proxies react.”
“Iran, for all we know, is on the brink of the bomb.”
The dangerous thing: Although Iran has repeatedly claimed in the past that it is not building a nuclear bomb, expert Schlie does not believe in this lip service: “Iran, according to everything we know, is on the verge of the bomb.
The 2015 nuclear agreement, which was supposed to allow enrichment only within narrow limits, has collapsed and Iran has since significantly increased its stocks of low-enriched uranium,” warned Schlie. “The breakout period until Iran can produce the fissile material necessary for a nuclear bomb is now de facto over.”
Nine years ago, Iran committed itself in an agreement to severely restrict its nuclear program. In return, sanctions were lifted. The then US President Donald Trump canceled the pact that was intended to prevent the construction of Iranian nuclear bombs in 2018. In return, Tehran greatly expanded its uranium enrichment and restricted controls by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Iran: Peaceful use of almost weapons-grade uranium not plausible
At the beginning of this year, Iran's nuclear chief reiterated that his country was not seeking nuclear weapons. “The possession of weapons of mass destruction has never had a place in the security and defense doctrine of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Mohammed Eslami said in a television interview at the time. At the time, he responded to the question of whether, given the conflict with Israel, it wasn't time to have a nuclear bomb or at least conduct a nuclear test.
But fears that Iran is only paying lip service have long been growing. Experts warned that peaceful use of uranium, which is almost capable of weapons, is not plausible. Tehran asserted that it would only use the nuclear program for civilian purposes. But according to the IAEA, no country has enriched so much uranium without turning it into a nuclear bomb.
Iran is getting closer to the atomic bomb: Authorities report raises concerns
It has been known since February that the mullahs' regime has significantly increased its production of highly enriched uranium in recent months. Between the end of October 2023 and the beginning of February 2024, 25 kilograms of almost weapons-grade uranium with a purity of 60 percent were produced, the IAEA stated in a report at the beginning of 2024 that was available to the
German Press Agency
. In the previous quarter it was less than seven kilograms.
According to the report, Iran's total inventory of 60 percent uranium fell slightly to 121.5 kilograms in recent months because the material was mixed with lower-enriched uranium. According to experts, this mixture can be brought to a weapons-grade level without any problems. According to experts, an atomic bomb requires around 50 kilograms of at least 80 to 90 percent uranium.
Iran nuke: Israel should “prepare for worst-case scenario”
In addition to the materials, the country also has the technical capabilities to build a bomb. Former Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi also said in February that his country had the technical capabilities to develop such weapons.
Since the founding of the Islamic Republic 45 years ago, Israel has been considered Iran's archenemy. The government had repeatedly threatened the Jewish state with destruction. Israel, for its part, is said to have nuclear weapons but has never made this public. Schlie told
IPPEN.MEDIA
: "In strategy you always have to be prepared for the worst, so Israel is well advised to prepare for this worst-case scenario." In the case of Iran's most recent attacks, Israel also received support from the Arabian region. (
acm/dpa
)