Speaking during a hearing in the Foreign Relations Committee of the US House of Representatives on Monday, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that Iran’s nuclear program has been out of control after the withdrawal of Washington from JCPOA in May 18, 2018, by former US President Donald Trump.
"Iran's nuclear program was under control during the implementation of JCPOA, but now it is out of control, he said, adding that Islamic Republic of Iran is carrying out activities that would have been worsen if it (Iran) had been a nuclear power."
Elsewhere in his remarks, Blinken pointed to the ongoing talks in the Austrian capital Vienna to resume full implementation of JCPOA and stated, "It is still unclear whether Iran has the will and readiness to take the necessary steps to return to JCPOA or not.”
Blinken also claimed that if Iran's nuclear program continued, its "nuclear breakout time" would reach several weeks.
Breakout time is a concept innovated by the Americans and refers to the time it takes to accumulate nuclear material needed to build a nuclear bomb. The Americans say the restrictions imposed on JCPOA had reached this time to one year.
At the same time, this program is moving fast. The more this progress, the shorter the breakout time will be. According to public reports, this time has now reached a few months at its best status, and if this trend continues, it will be reduced to a few weeks, US Secretary of State opined.
This is while that the Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently denied Western claims that it is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. Tehran emphasizes that, as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has reserved the right to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
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