Israeli Intel Expert: Iran Breakout Time Down to Zero

Iran closer to nuclear breakout (Archive: Hanohiki/iStock)

Iran’s nuclear breakout time is now down to zero, former military intelligence chief Tamir Hayman warns. This follows reports that Tehran is escalating uranium enrichment using advanced equipment at the Fordow nuclear facility.

At this time, the Iranians have enough enriched uranium for one or more nuclear weapons, N12 News reported earlier. Given this state of affairs, Israel’s security arms will no longer aim to disrupt Tehran’s uranium enrichment capacity, the report said.

Instead, Israeli covert action will likely focus on Iran’s weaponization program and military industry, the report said.

Tehran can now move to 90% military grade enrichment immediately if it wishes, said Hayman, who heads Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies. The International Atomic Energy Agency will not be able to detect such shift in real time, the former intel chief tweeted.

However, Iran’s technological leap is still short of actually producing a bomb, Hayman said.

As tensions grow, Israel will continue to closely monitor Iranian activities from a secret intelligence base dedicated to exposing Tehran’s moves.

Notably, many observers believe that Iran is currently flexing its muscles to force world powers into a favorable nuclear deal. However, a dramatic Iranian breakout toward a bomb cannot be ruled out at this time.