CIA: US doubts Iran's intentions in resuming nuclear weapons program

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 Feb 2023 13:54
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"We don't believe that the Supreme Leader in Iran has yet made a decision to resume the weaponization program", CIA chief William Burns says.

Iranian flag is seen at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in Tirana, Albania, September 8, 2022. (Reuters)

Washington does not believe that Iran plans to resume its nuclear weapon program, according to US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief William Burns.

"We don't believe that the Supreme Leader in Iran has yet made a decision to resume the weaponization program that we judge that they suspended or stopped at the end of 2003," Burns said in an interview with a US broadcaster.

Western media had claimed reported that Tehran has enriched uranium to 84%, whereas the country never went beyond the enrichment level of 60%, according to Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesperson of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

In order to produce nuclear weapons, one needs 90% purity.

Iran signed its nuclear deal with JCPOA with the P5+1 group of countries (the United States, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom - plus Germany) and the European Union back in 2015. However, in order to relieve itself from imposed sanctions, Iran had to downgrade its uranium production severely. Fast forward to 2018, the US withdrew from the JCPOA deal and implemented sanctions on Tehran, and the EU did not abide by its agreements, prompting Iran to abandon its obligations after several warnings that it would resort to this measure.

Three years later, both parties began negotiations to restore the nuclear deal in 2021. Later that year in December, the JCPOA parties agreed on a couple of drafts for the new deal. No final agreement has been met so far.

At the end of 2022, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani accused the US of procrastinating signing the deal despite having a ready draft for it.