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Former Israeli military intelligence chief: Iran could build nuclear bomb in as little as 4 months

Jamie Weinstein Senior Writer
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A former Israeli military intelligence chief said Monday that Iran could potentially build a nuclear bomb in as little as 4 months.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported the comments by Amos Yadlin, who also noted that Western diplomacy could significantly delay that time frame:

Former Israeli Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin said Monday that Iran could potentially build a nuclear bomb within four to six months, passing the “red line” set by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the spring or summer of 2013.

When asked what Iran’s “breakthrough capabilities” might be – meaning between when it decides to create a nuclear bomb and when it would actually be in possession of the weapon – Yadlin said: “Today, the breakthrough capability is between four and six months.” He also said that Iran has in recent years already completed all of the necessary components that would enable it to create a nuclear bomb.

A diplomatic agreement between Western powers and Iran could significantly delay that period of time to up to two years, he added. Yadlin said that Iran had already slowed its pace of nuclear progress in 2012, when it converted some of its enriched uranium into fuel rods.

Yadlin’s comments come on the heels of a report last week that Israeli intelligence officials had pushed back the timetable where they believe Iran could build a nuclear weapon to 2015.

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Jamie Weinstein