
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TEHRAN/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) -— Iran appeared closer to a nuclear confrontation with Israel after a well-informed Iranian official said the Islamic Republic has everything it needs for a nuclear bomb.
Ali-Akbar Salehi, the former head of Iran’s nuclear agency, revealed that his nation “crossed all the thresholds of nuclear science and technology.”
In an interview aired by the Iran International broadcaster, said Salehi all parts are available to assemble a nuclear weapon.
“Here’s an example: Imagine what a car needs; it needs a chassis, an engine, a steering wheel, a gearbox,” Salehi explained in comments monitored by Worthy News. “You’re asking if we’ve made the gearbox; I say yes. Have we made the engine? Yes, but each one serves its own purpose.”
Tehran insists that its nuclear program is peaceful, but critics say Iran has sped up its uranium enrichment to levels that serve no purpose other than building atomic weapons.
“Iranian braggadocio about their nuclear program is reaching new and unprecedented levels,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
NUCLEAR WEAPON
“Iran’s former atomic energy chief is essentially hinting that Tehran has all the pieces of a nuclear weapon in place but disassembled,” Taleblu stressed.
“This commentary should be raising red flags for anyone who thought diversion of fissile material was the only thing that needed to be prevented and accounted for with international monitoring.”
The remarks published Thursday came shortly after Iran test-fired missiles in drills aimed at attacking Israel.
Iran claims its missiles are capable of striking deep into Israel as they are capable of traveling more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers).
Israel’s government has made it clear it won’t allow Iran to have nuclear weapons as Tehran has pledged to destroy the Jewish nation.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The Trump administration has finalized a sweeping reciprocal trade agreement with Taiwan, confirming a 15 percent U.S. tariff rate on Taiwanese imports while securing broad new market access and purchase commitments for American goods.
Democrats are applauding White House border czar Tom Homan’s Thursday announcement that immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota will end next week.
Democrats in the U.S. Senate tanked the Homeland Security full-year funding bill in a last-ditch vote Thursday, all but guaranteeing a partial government shutdown starting Saturday.
Mourners in a remote Canadian town grappled Thursday with the aftermath of one of the country’s deadliest school shootings in decades, as families, survivors and leaders reacted to the tragedy that left eight victims — most of them children — dead, along with the 18-year-old suspect.
A gunman who opened fire at a school in southern Thailand’s Hat Yai city on Wednesday wounded a teacher and a student before being detained, authorities said, in a rare attack that sent students and staff into panic.
The Republican-led House of Representatives has passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, advancing legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at the polls. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain amid strong Democratic opposition.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that its advanced David’s Sling air and missile defense system has completed a series of complex modernized tests, a development officials say bolsters the country’s defensive posture as tensions with Iran escalate and the United States prepares military options that could include direct strikes.