Trump vows to prevent Iranian nuclear weapons development

Shafaq News / Former US President Donald Trump emphasized in an interview with "Israel Hayom" newspaper that he would not allow Iran to develop a nuclear bomb if he wins the next presidential elections, considering the remaining period until the American elections as "long" and resembling "eternity."

In response to a question about his plans regarding Iran, especially as it is getting very close to possessing a nuclear bomb, Trump stated, "I do not want to tell you about that. Because I do not think it is appropriate for me to tell you about it, but I do not think you can allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. I do not think that is my right." He added, "My current position is to inform you about it, but I would like to tell you this – I was so strong about Iran not having a nuclear weapon to the point where they literally did not have money."

He further explained that Iran was only 35 days away from acquiring a nuclear bomb once the decision was made.

He continued, "They will never have a nuclear weapon. They can get a nuclear weapon within 35 days. I have seven months left in my term, and nine months left until I take office. A lot of bad things can happen during that time. Seven months in this world, especially in the Middle East, where there is severe and combustible conflict, is a long time, and many bad things can happen. Also, many good things can happen if that happens. If we have a real president, if we have a president who knows what he is doing, and can put two sentences together, this problem can be solved very quickly."

The former US president pointed out that "the Iranian economy collapsed during my presidency due to the sanctions imposed on it."

He added, "I told 47 countries that if they buy oil from Iran, they will not do any business in the United States, and we will impose tariffs on their products."

In an earlier report in February, an American report issued by the Institute for Science and International Security warned of the "Iranian nuclear threat", confirming that Iran can manufacture six nuclear bombs within a month, and 12 bombs within five months.

The report was issued on February 5th and was published on the Institute's official page, stating that the threat posed by the Iranian nuclear program has significantly increased since May 2023, exacerbating this threat, according to the institute's report, due to "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation on October 7, 2023.

The report believes that the tense situation in the region provides Iran with a "unique and internally justified opportunity to build nuclear weapons," while the United States and Israel's resources needed to monitor and deter Iran from achieving success are being exhausted.

The ongoing conflicts lead to neglecting the Iranian nuclear threat, according to the report, while facing "a real possibility that Iran will choose to enhance its nuclear capabilities and build nuclear weapons."

These serious and alarming changes led the institute to raise the total score of the "Iranian threat" from 151 to 180 on the institute's scale, up from 140 in May 2023, and those risks were assessed as "severe danger," marking the first time the index reached that score.

The report alleged that "if Iran wanted to continue enriching its uranium from 60% to 90%, which is uranium suitable for use in nuclear weapons, it could do so within a week, using only a small fraction of that uranium, and it might be difficult for inspectors to immediately detect this violation if Iran takes steps to delay the arrival of inspectors."

"By using what remains of its stockpile enriched to about 60% uranium, as well as its stockpile enriched to about 20%," according to the report, "Iran could produce enough uranium to make six nuclear bombs within a month."