DUBAI: Iran has the technical capability to produce an atomic bomb but has no intention of doing so, Mohammad Eslami, head of the country’s atomic energy organization, said on Monday, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
Eslami reiterated comments made by Kamal Kharrazi, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in July.
Kharrazi’s remarks amounted to a rare suggestion that the Islamic Republic might have an interest in nuclear weapons, which it has long denied seeking.
“As Mr. Kharrazi mentioned, Iran has the technical ability to build an atomic bomb, but such a program is not on the agenda,” said Eslami.
Iran is already enriching uranium to up to 60 percent fissile purity, far above a cap of 3.67 percent set under Tehran’s now tattered 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Uranium enriched to 90 percent is suitable for a nuclear bomb.
In 2018, former US President Donald Trump ditched the nuclear pact, under which Iran curbed its uranium enrichment work, a potential pathway to nuclear weapons, in exchange for relief from international economic sanctions.
Iran has responded to top European Union diplomat Josep Borrell’s proposal aimed at salvaging the nuclear accord, and seeks a swift conclusion to negotiations, the top Iranian nuclear negotiator said on Sunday.
Borrell said he had proposed a new draft text to revive the deal.
“After exchanging messages last week and reviewing the proposed texts, there is a possibility that in the near future we will be able to reach a conclusion about the timing of a new round of nuclear negotiations,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.
The broad outline of a revived deal was essentially agreed in March after 11 months of indirect talks in Vienna between Tehran and US President Joe Biden administration.
But talks then broke down over obstacles including Tehran’s demand that Washington should give guarantees that no US president will abandon the deal, the same way Trump did.
Biden cannot promise this because the nuclear deal is a non-binding political understanding, not a legally binding treaty.
Iran says no intention of producing atomic bomb despite having technical means
https://arab.news/mmchw
Iran says no intention of producing atomic bomb despite having technical means
- Remarks suggest Iran might have interest in nuclear weapons, which it has long denied seeking
Palestinian president receives draft of constitution ahead of elections
- Local elections scheduled for April, Palestinian National Council elections in November
- Draft constitution maintains political pluralism, separation of powers, while also allowing parliament to carry out oversight, legislative responsibilities
LONDON: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has received a draft of the provisional constitution as the Palestinian Authority prepares to conduct elections this year.
Abbas said on Thursday that the drafting of the provisional Palestinian constitution would pave the way for the transition from the current Palestinian Authority to a fully fledged state, which to date about 160 countries have recognized.
Palestinian local elections are scheduled for April, while the Palestinian National Council elections are to take place in November, according to a decree issued by Abbas last week. The latter are for the Palestine Liberation Organization’s parliament and it will be the first time members are elected by direct popular vote, rather than appointed or co-opted.
Counselor Muhammad Al-Hajj Qasim led the drafting committee, which worked for about seven months and held 70 meetings. It consulted various civil society organizations and relevant stakeholders, according to the WAFA News Agency.
Qasim said the draft constitution maintained political pluralism and the separation of powers, while allowing parliament to carry out its oversight and legislative responsibilities. A copy of the draft will be submitted to the PLO’s Executive Committee.
The last national election for Palestinians was in 2006 but they voted for local representatives in 2021.
The Palestinian Legislative Council has not convened since 2007. Abbas dissolved the parliament in 2018 after it had remained inactive for over a decade, largely due to a rift between Fatah and Hamas, and the arrest of several MPs, primarily from Hamas, by the Israeli authorities.
