In an interview with Foreign Policy on Wednesday, US special envoy for Iran Robert Malley said that Iran is "only a few weeks" away from enriching the fissile material needed to develop a nuclear weapon.

"It’s a tough question to answer, because there’s how close they are to having fissile material enriched at weapons grade, and that is, as we’ve said, only a few weeks," the envoy said.

"They’re very close to having enough fissile material for a bomb. Weaponizing [the material], that takes longer, but it’s much too close for comfort."  

The US envoy seems to insist that the Islamic Republic is keen on acquiring the weapon despite that Iran has several times expressed in the past that it is in no way part of its military agenda.

Malley further stated that such a situation has ensued due to the reckless decision of former US President Donald Trump to pull out of the JCPOA agreement. 

Haven't he done that, Iran would have never reached a point so close to acquiring the weapon, Malley argues. 

Malley glorified US President Joe Biden over his "efforts" to revive the JCPOA deal, but then accused Iran of stalling the talks by repeatedly adding new conditions to fulfill the agreement's revival. 

In case diplomatic talks eventually fail, Malley said that the White House is ready to employ a military option to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

"We’ll have the sanctions, we’ll have the pressure, we’ll have the diplomacy. If none of that works, the President has said, as a last resort, he will agree to a military option, because if that’s what it takes to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, that’s what will happen. But we’re not there," Malley said, adding that the Biden administration is still hopeful Iran will change its current path.

Read more: No evidence Tehran wants to develop nuclear weapons: Russia

With regards to the illegally imposed sanctions related to allegations over Iran's involvement in the Ukraine conflict, Malley said the US needs to 'fine-tune' its sanctions against Iran rather than punish it over its alleged role in the Ukraine conflict. 

"I think we need to fine-tune our sanctions. It [more sanctions] is not the answer. If it had been the answer then Iran would not be pursuing nuclear weapons. They would not be advancing [their] nuclear program," Malley told Foreign Policy, adding that the matter of sanctioning Iran is a "balancing act," therefore the US needs to act accordingly.  

Malley referred to the 2015 nuclear agreement as an example, stating that the success of its diplomacy was partly owed to the pressure of illegal and inhumane sanctions.

The envoy further expressed optimism that the JCPOA will eventually be revived.

Read more: Iran FM: Nuclear weapons contrast with our religious beliefs, policies