Iran closer to ‘breakout capacity’
U.S. diplomat warns of progress on nuclear bomb
WASHINGTON – Iran “is now either very near or in possession” of enough low-enriched uranium to produce one nuclear weapon, a senior U.S. diplomat said Wednesday as he offered some of the toughest remarks by an Obama administration official on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Glyn Davies, Washington’s chief envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, made the assertion in his inaugural speech to the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog on the same day that Iran offered a counterproposal to end the impasse over its nuclear program.
The Iranian proposal, which remains confidential, was delivered to diplomats in Tehran, but initial reactions were of disappointment.
“We made a substantive offer, but we didn’t get something back that was responsive,” said one Western diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity because an official comment was still being prepared. “What we got was a request for a holistic conversation.”
In his speech Davies said, “We have serious concerns that Iran is deliberately attempting, at a minimum, to preserve a nuclear weapons option.”
Iran would need to enrich the stockpile of uranium to weapons-grade level to produce a bomb, but Davies said the country’s ongoing enrichment activity – in defiance of three U.N. Security Council resolutions – “moves Iran closer to a dangerous and destabilizing possible breakout capacity.”
Davies reiterated the Obama administration’s interest in a diplomatic resolution to the impasse and in direct negotiations with Iran without preconditions.
The five permanent members of the Security Council – United States, Britain, France, Russia and China – and Germany this year reiterated an offer to provide economic and security benefits to Iran in exchange for international oversight and suspension of its enrichment activity. The group, known by the moniker P5-plus-one, has unsuccessfully sought to negotiate a solution with Iran since 2006.
The United States and other major powers said in July that they would “take stock” of Iran’s response to the latest offer during the annual debate of the U.N. General Assembly this month. Washington has warned that it will push for “crippling sanctions” against Iran if little progress is made by year’s end.