Israel Claims Iran Will Obtain Nuclear Weapon Materials in 10 Weeks

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said on Wednesday that Iran will be able to produce military-grade nuclear materials as soon as 10 weeks from now, owing to a sweeping violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"Iran has violated all of the guidelines set in the JCPOA and is only around ten weeks away from acquiring weapons-grade materials necessary for a nuclear weapon," Gantz said at a briefing for ambassadors from the UN Security Council's member states, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who also participated in the briefing, stressed that Israel reserves the right to act independently when faced with an attack or a threat to its citizens and sovereignty.

In 2015, Iran signed the nuclear deal with the P5+1 group of countries, including the United States, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and the European Union. It required Tehran to scale back its nuclear program and severely reduce its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief, including the lifting of an arms embargo five years after the deal was inked.

In 2018, the US abandoned its conciliatory stance, withdrawing from the JCPOA and implementing hardline policies against Iran, prompting the latter to largely abandon its own obligations under the accord.