Blinken: Iran Back to Point Where it Could Produce Fissile Material For Nuclear Weapon

 Antony Blinken speaks during his confirmation hearing to be secretary of state before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on January 19, 2021 in Washington, DC. (AFP)
Antony Blinken speaks during his confirmation hearing to be secretary of state before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on January 19, 2021 in Washington, DC. (AFP)
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Blinken: Iran Back to Point Where it Could Produce Fissile Material For Nuclear Weapon

 Antony Blinken speaks during his confirmation hearing to be secretary of state before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on January 19, 2021 in Washington, DC. (AFP)
Antony Blinken speaks during his confirmation hearing to be secretary of state before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on January 19, 2021 in Washington, DC. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Tuesday that Iran is now getting back to that point where it could produce fissile material for a weapon on very short order.

He also said that the administration of President Joe Biden has made a clear commitment to re-engage in diplomacy to return to the Nuclear Deal.

“Before the (2015) agreement, Iran was speeding toward the day when it would have the ability to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon on very short order. At the time we reached the agreement, it was getting down toward weeks,” Blinken reaffirmed.

However, he noted that Washington, along with its allies and partners, are also prepared to take strong action as necessary against some of the things Iran does, referring to Tehran’s regional activities and the development of ballistic missiles.

The new US Secretary of state was speaking Tuesday during an interview with Hillary Clinton, who said that negotiations are difficult and time-consuming, adding that in the Iran agreement, the US got a long way towards stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, all of which was then thrown out the window by the Trump administration.

Former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed crippling sanctions on Iran.

Blinken said the US has an interest in putting the Nuclear Deal back in a box and then seeing if Washington can actually build something even longer and stronger in terms of the duration of the agreement.

“We’re a long way from getting back to where we were. We don’t know what Iran will do or won’t do. But I think that it offers at least the possibility of dealing with the nuclear problem and then hopefully dealing with some of the other problems,” the US official said.



France Plans to Take Iran to Int’l Court over Citizen Detentions

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (R) during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting in Brussels, Belgium, 03 April 2025.  EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (R) during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting in Brussels, Belgium, 03 April 2025. EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET
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France Plans to Take Iran to Int’l Court over Citizen Detentions

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (R) during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting in Brussels, Belgium, 03 April 2025.  EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (R) during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting in Brussels, Belgium, 03 April 2025. EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET

Two French citizens held in Iran for almost three years have not had consular services for more than a year prompting Paris to prepare a complaint at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), France's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris have been held since May 2022. Iranian state television aired a video later that year with them appearing to confess to acting on behalf of French intelligence services, something categorically denied by Paris.
Held in Tehran's Evin prison, France has accused Iran of keeping them in conditions akin to torture.
French officials have toughened their language towards Iran, notably over the advancement of its nuclear program and regional activities, but also the detention of European citizens in the country.
Speaking after a rare cabinet meeting to broadly discuss Iran on Wednesday, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot indicated Paris would soon take the matter of violating the right to consular protection to the ICJ.
"We are putting together a complaint that we will file at the ICJ," Foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine told reporters at a news conference on Thursday, adding that the Kohler and Paris were being held in "shocking" conditions.
According to Reuters, Lemoine declined to say when it would be filed and acknowledged that procedures at the ICJ were long, but insisted that Tehran needed to be called out on the issue because the embassy and consulate had not had access to their citizens for more than a year.
"It's in violation of Iran's obligations," he said, citing the Vienna convention on consular relations.
In recent years, Iran's Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security.
Rights groups have accused Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests.
Iran, which does not recognize dual nationality, denies taking prisoners to gain diplomatic leverage.