U.S. think tank says Iran can produce nuke bombs next year

Washington, DC, United States (4E) – A nuclear non-proliferation think tank released Monday a report saying Iran can produce several nuclear bombs by middle of next year and recommended U.S. action to stop Tehran from reaching that point.

The warning and recommendation were contained in the 154-page report titled “US Nonproliferation Strategy for the Changing Middle East” released by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS).

In the report, ISIS urged U.S. President Barack Obama should declare he will use military force to destroy Iran’s nuclear program if Iran takes additional decisive steps toward producing a bomb such as producing weapon-grade uranium or separated plutonium, expelling International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors, construction of additional covert nuclear facilities, or undertaking significant additional weaponization activities.

The report says it will be difficult for to stop Iran’s nuclear program militarily if it acquires weapon-grade enriched uranium.

The report also recommends that the U.S. impose “de facto international embargo on all investments in, and trade with, Iran” if Tehran does not cooperate with the IAEA’s inspection program.

The ISIS is a nonprofit institution to inform the public about “science and policy issues affecting international security. It was founded in 1993 by former IAEA nuclear inspector David Albright, who co-wrote the report.

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