Iran appears on track to have nukes by mid-2013: French FM's bombshell

Report By: Nina Rai

Paris, Oct. 23, 2012:

French foreign minister has claimed that Iran looks to be on course to reaching its goal of producing nuclear weapons latest by mid-2013, something sure to add more grey hairs to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s head as also add to the worry of its closest ally the United States.

Speaking to Europe-1 radio on Sunday, Oct 21 Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius referring to unidentified experts said they "have established in an absolutely indisputable way" that Iran has amassed complete range of centrifuges.

According to Fabius this capability "apparently will allow the ability to go toward possession of the nuclear weapon by the first half of next year, the end of the first half." He, however, refrained from elaborating on the matter.

Among the six countries, the alleged p5+1, France is one of the nation’s to have negotiated with Tehran over its nuclear program. Despite, Iran time and again insisting its program is for peaceful purposes viz., health and generating electricity, no one in the west is buying that assurance.

US and its allies particularly Israel, is apprehensive and suspect that Iran is stealthily using its uranium enrichment program to produce nuclear missiles. The concern is increasing day by day as Tehran increases the number of machines it utilizes to enrich uranium.

Israeli PM Netanyahu has been pushing for taking a hard line on Iran for long, now clambering down a little to draw clear ‘red lines,’ beyond which he prefers a strike on Iran. However, US President Obama is pursuing the path of diplomatic pressure as also stringent sanctions on Iran to make the latter toe the line with regard to its ambitious nuclear programme.

Source: Washington Post/AP

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