(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — An Iranian Member of Parliament and a member of the national security committee stated that the country is capable of conducting a nuclear test within one week if instructed to do so by the government.
“We only need one week to conduct a nuclear test,” said Javad Karimi-Ghodousi, a well-known conservative Iranian lawmaker and former military commander.
His statement has been widely reported by Western media and military analysts who question the real capabilities of Iran’s nuclear weapons development.
Additionally, the conservative MP also claimed that Iran is capable of developing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) on “very short notice” if directed by its government.
He stated that Iranian ICBMs could target distances up to 12,000km.
“With permission, we only need one week to conduct the first test to extend our missile range to 12,000km,” said the member of the national security committee.
Although the accuracy of Javad’s statements about Iran’s missile and nuclear technology capabilities cannot be confirmed, they are likely to increase surveillance by Western countries on Iran.
The statements made by the parliament member and national security committee member are definitely taken seriously by the United States and Israel.
So far, it is known that the range of Iran’s ballistic missiles is around 2,000km.
Recently, in a development that “concerns” the West, especially the United States and Israel, former head of Iran’s nuclear agency Ali Akhbar Salehi said Tehran has all the necessities to build a nuclear bomb.
In an interview, Salehi, also a former Foreign Minister of Iran, said, “Iran has surpassed all the nuclear science and technology thresholds. For example, consider what a car needs: it needs an engine, steering, gearbox.”
“If you ask if we have made a gearbox, I say yes. Have we made an engine? Yes,” he said.
In 2022, Kamal Kharazzi, an advisor to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, stated in an interview with Al-Jazeera that the country possesses all the technical capabilities to build a nuclear bomb.
“We have increased our uranium enrichment level from 20 percent to 60 percent in just a few days, and it is very easy to enrich it to 90 percent,” he said, indicating that Tehran is “very close” to building a nuclear bomb.
Last December, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expressed concerns that Iran no longer has any technical obstacles preventing it from having the capability to build a nuclear bomb.
According to him, Iran could build a nuclear bomb whenever it wishes to do so. — DSA