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Israel Warns Iran About Uranium Enrichment Announcement

Linda Gradstein

   JERUSALEM - Israeli officials said Monday that they will not allow Iran
   to produce a nuclear weapon. Israel was responding to Iran's
   announcement that its scientists have resumed enriching uranium to 20
   percent purity. The exchange is increasing tensions just two weeks
   before U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is set to take office.

   Iran's state-run news agency quoted a government spokesman as saying
   that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had given the order to resume
   enriching uranium to 20 percent purity at the underground Fordo
   facility.

   The move is seen as a significant step toward achieving weapons grade
   levels of uranium. In the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran agreed not to go
   above four percent.

   Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Iranian decision
   shows that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons despite its denials and that
   Israel would not allow this to happen.

   Giora Eiland, the former head of Israel's National Security Council,
   said the move is a significant step forward for Iran in its quest to
   become a nuclear power.

   "As far as we know today, the beginning of 2021, they do not have a
   nuclear bomb although they have actually all the access and all the
   potential to have it, if they make a decision to try to get it in a
   period of less than six months or less than a year," said Eiland.

   But Eiland said he saw the Iranian announcement more as a way to put
   pressure on the incoming Biden administration to return to the Iran
   nuclear deal from which the Trump administration withdrew.

   "Today they accelerate very carefully this process in order to create
   some pressure on the United States in order to be in a better position
   when the dialogue begins as they believe it will in a matter of a few
   months," he said.

   The Iranian announcement comes one year after the United States'
   targeted killing of senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanderQasem
   Soleimani, a move Iran has vowed to avenge.

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