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Israel predicts 6-month nuclear breakout time for Iran

Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said Iran is close to amassing the fissile material needed to build a nuclear weapon, but it would be a year or two before it could produce a nuclear weapon.
An outside view of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters taken ahead of a virtual IAEA Board of Governors' meeting at the IAEA headquarters of the UN seat in Vienna, Austria, on November 18, 2020. (Photo by Christian BRUNA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTIAN BRUNA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

A senior Israeli official said on Tuesday that it would take Iran around six months to amass the amount of fissile material needed to build a nuclear weapon, nearly double the “breakout time” estimated by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.  

During an interview with public broadcaster Kan, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said the previous US administration’s abandonment of the landmark nuclear accord in 2018 had weakened Tehran and “seriously damaged Iran’s nuclear project and entire force buildup.” 

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