Donald Trump‘s claims about Iran’s nuclear program are “just not true,” according to a former White House nuclear expert. The comment comes as Iran’s HEU stockpile continues to be a central issue in ongoing peace negotiations.
Expert chimes in on Donald Trump’s Iran nuclear claims
In an interview with CBS News‘ 60 Minutes on Sunday, former White House nuclear adviser Dr. Matthew Bunn disputed Donald Trump’s claims that Iran’s nuclear program has been “completely obliterated.” The expert, who currently works at Harvard University’s Belfer Center, said that Iran still has enough highly enriched uranium (HEU) to develop several nuclear bombs.
“Yeah, that statement is just not true,” Bunn said. “You can’t say that a program that still has enough nuclear material for a bunch of nuclear bombs is obliterated. There’s no doubt that the combination of the strikes in June of last year and the ongoing war have seriously set back Iran’s capabilities. But the remaining capabilities are substantial. You can’t bomb away their knowledge.”
U.N. inspectors reportedly estimate that Iran currently possesses around 970 pounds of uranium enriched to 60 percent. If enriched further, this amount could be enough to build about 10 to 11 nuclear bombs. Iran has not allowed international inspectors to verify their actual stockpile amount.
Last week, Trump claimed that Iran had agreed to relinquish their HEU stockpile as part of peace talks. However, Iranian officials soon dismissed the claim, declaring that the stockpile will remain in the country (via CBS News).
Ahead of the ongoing ceasefire deal’s expiration on Wednesday, April 22, Trump recently issued another warning to Iran. In an April 19 Truth Social post, the president accused Iran of violating the ceasefire agreement and announced his decision to send a delegation to Pakistan for a new round of negotiations.
He concluded the post with an explosive threat, saying, “We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”
Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh on Mandatory.
