French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that Iran is nearing “the point of no return” when it comes to procuring potential nuclear weapons. Macron said during his address to French ambassadors that Tehran has enough enriched uranium to power a handful of nuclear warheads, even calling Iran the biggest strategic threat that Europe faces.
Aside from Macron the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has also earlier raised concerns over Iran’s nuclear stockpilling. The watchdog said in December that Iran was “dramatically” accelerating enrichment, and roughly 90% of its uranium stockpile was at bomb-grade level.
France was part of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which fell apart in 2018 when the first Trump administration withdrew the United States. Under that deal, Iran had agreed to pull back on its nuclear program in exchange for international sanctions being lifted.
As a result of the U.S. backing out, Iran began enriching uranium at higher levels, which reportedly shortened the time needed to make a nuclear device from months to weeks.
Macron said he is still debating whether more sanctions may be the answering to deterring Tehran from further enhancing its nuclear program and will talk with the incoming Trump administration about the “Iranian question.”
President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House on Monday, Jan. 20, is also reportedly raising fresh concerns after he drew a hardline with Tehran during his first term.
Trump reapplied sanctions against Iran and ordered the killing of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020, which some say nearly sparked a clash between the U.S. and Iran.
Meanwhile Tehran has repeatedly insisted that it is not using the enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon. However, the West has been skeptical of the denial, especially given Iran’s support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Iran is being encircled on multiple fronts with both Hamas and Hezbollah being heavily destroyed by Israel over the past few months. While the Iran backed Houthis in Yemen are also being targeted by long range weapons of Israel and other Western allies.
Iran remains under severe pressure and it is speculated that for self defence the country may decide to use a last gasp option and us the enriched uranium to build their own nuclear weapons. The West has been attempting to preempt this development and while Tehran has insisted that it is not looking to create nuclear weapons, experts in the West feel that it is only a matter of time Iran does so and this development must be averted.
