Iran eyes 30 nuclear bombs a year, says Israeli minister
Iran eyes 30 nuclear bombs a year, says Israeli minister – Your Middle East.
Iran is working round the clock to enlarge its nuclear infrastructure with the eventual aim of developing an industry capable of building up to 30 bombs a year, an Israeli minister charged on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said Tehran was “very close” to crossing the red line laid out by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year.
But he said it was biding its time and building uranium-enrichment facilities before making the final push for weapons-grade material.
“The Iranians are getting very close now to the red line… They have close to 200 kilos — 190 kilos (418 pounds) — of 20 percent enriched uranium,” Steinitz said.
“Once they have 250 kilos, this is enough to make the final rush to 90 percent,” the level of enrichment required for a nuclear warhead, he said in a presentation to the Foreign Press Association.
“It is a matter of weeks or maybe two months to jump from 20 percent to 90 percent with so many centrifuges,” he said.
“What they are doing now — instead of crossing the red line, they are widening and enlarging their capacity by putting in more centrifuges, faster centrifuges.”
Iran’s aim, he charged, was to build a nuclear arsenal, not just a single bomb.
“Many people are saying it’s a question of the Iranian bomb – whether they will have it or not. No. We are speaking about an Iranian arsenal.”
Tehran’s big fear was that a Western military strike could wipe out their nuclear facilities “within a few hours,” he said.
“The Iranians feel very vulnerable, especially from American air operations. This is their main concern — that if the West, if NATO, if America decide to attack them, a few hours of accurate air raids might destroy their nuclear facilities.”
Israel and many Western governments suspect Iran is using its civilian nuclear programme as cover for developing a weapons capability, a charge denied by Tehran.
But the Jewish state, the Middle East’s sole, if undeclared, nuclear power, has refused to rule out a pre-emptive military strike to prevent it.
Steinitz also ruled out any change in policy that might result from the Iranian presidential elections which are to take place on Friday, saying the result was already known.
“Nothing is going to change. There will be, unfortunately, no significant changes because of these so-called elections because (supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei has already won,” he said.
“He is the leader and he makes the decisions and he already made his decision to spend many billions of dollars on building this nuclear industry with only one aim,” he charged.
“The decision was already made to get nuclear weapons — you don’t spent so much money and you don’t suffer $70 billion of losses (due to international sanctions) in one year only to show that you can spin some centrifuges,” he concluded.
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WarSclerotic 
June 11, 2013 at 4:13 PM
I believe Iran passed Netanyahu’s red line last year – contrary to what Steinitz says here.
Perhaps Israel is going to wait past the Iranian election but it’s a dumb move as far as I’m concerned. Nothing will change and more stalling only helps Iran build more bombs.
Still the fact he talks again about the potential for Iran to build 30 bombs a year makes me feel action is indeed close. I doubt Israel is willing to wait past the summer.
June 12, 2013 at 6:25 PM
” I doubt Israel is willing to wait past the summer.”
Many on this forum, including the esteemed Mr. J. Wouk, didn’t expect Israel would be willing to wait 4 summers ago. Please rest assured that also the summer of 2013 will pass just as the summers of 2010, 2011 and 2012 did.
June 11, 2013 at 6:07 PM
Since there is much confusion about whether Iran passed Israel’s red line or not I simply paste my calculations that I have made a view months ago. This calculation is based on the production levels until Feb. 2013. Since then the Iranians have increased their production levels considerably. As you will see, Amos Yadlin was right when he said repeatedly that Iran has passed for all intents and purposes all Israeli readline already.
Here is my very conservative calculation based on the ISIS-analysis and the IAEA report from Feb. 2013.
As of Feb. 10 2013 Iran has produced a total of 280 Kg Uranium enriched to 20%.
Of these 280 Kg they have diverted 111 Kg for reactor fuel plate production and 1.6 Kg for other uses (50 Kg converted so far).
That means they had in Feb. about 167 Kg Uranium.
240 Kg Israeli red line
– 167 Kg
__________________
= 73 Kg Uranium needed for crossing the red line
Average total monthly production is 15.5 Kg (10 Kg in Fordow)
That means that the Israeli red line is crossed at the latest
on these days
Feb. 10 + 141 days = July 1, 2013 (Fordow operational)
Feb. 10 + 398 days = March 15, 2014 (Fordow not operational)
Keep in mind that up to Jan 2013(and allegedly in Feb 2013) only 700 of 2700 centrifuges were operational at Fordow.
The theoretical max. production of Fordow is then 38.6 Kg per month.
As I said, this is a very conservative calculation.
An increase in the production of enriched Uranium is very likely but it is also possible that they divert more Uranium for fuel plate production.
June 12, 2013 at 6:27 PM
Fortunately the IAEA is monitoring each and every centrifuge, and knows exactly how many kilos enriched uranium Iran has. The only way Iran could divert any of it, is by kicking out the IAEA inspectors and their CCTV systems.
June 12, 2013 at 7:29 PM
Ah, the ‘elections’ must be going well if you can afford the time to comment here.
Renbe, we all know you a are a propagandist for the mullah regime.
Do they pay you at least well?
The IAEA can only monitor the sites that are known to them.
Do I need to remind you that your mullahs kept sites like Fordow secret for quite a while?
The IAEA can only monitor the things that Iran let them monitor.
Believe it or not, we are not that stupid to assume that these numbers give a fully accurate picture.
The purpose of my calculation was to determine the latest possible point in time when the Israeli red line will be crossed based on what is known to the public.
As for how close Iran is to their nuclear goals, only the intelligence services know and you can bet your behind that they will not tell the public.
June 12, 2013 at 6:21 PM
Iran has been “very close” to a nuclear arsenal for at least 2 decades already. No one takes any agitprop emanating from Israel serious anymore.