Iran will have acquired all the necessary technological know-how to build a nuclear bomb by March, Israeli chief of staff Dan Halutz said on Tuesday.
Speaking to the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and defence, Halutz said it would take three months for Iran to reach the nuclear point of no return, after which it would have all the necessary knowledge to build a nuclear warhead.
His comments echoed remarks made earlier this month when he warned that Iran start would begin enriching uranium in March.
“The next step they are looking at is starting the enrichment of uranium, which is scheduled for March,” he said. “Enrichment is the next step in order to have all the ingredients to create a meal.”
After that point, intelligence estimates showed it could take between three to six years to physically develop a nuclear warhead, unless Tehran had already acquired one, Halutz said.
The Europeans are involved in efforts to persuade Iran to abandon uranium enrichment, a process which can make both nuclear fuel and the explosive core of a weapon.
The United States and Israel accuse Iran of using a nuclear fuel programme as a cover for developing the atomic bomb, charges Tehran has consistently denied.
Israel is widely believed to possess around 200 nuclear warheads, making it the only nuclear power in the Middle East, although it has never admitted having atomic weapons.
Source: Agence France-Presse
