Iran could enrich military-grade uranium in matter of weeks - CIA chief

Iran could enrich weapons-grade uranium within a matter of weeks, CIA Director William Burns has told CBS, warning that the Islamic Republic was on its way to obtaining the necessary components for a nuclear weapon.

Speaking on the channel’s flagship show Face the Nation, Burns said that the agency does not yet believe that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has made the decision to build a nuclear weapon even though the country is proceeding with obtaining the different components it needs for one.

Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealed that its inspectors had discovered uranium enriched to 84%, close to the military-grade level of 90% that is needed for a weapon.

Until then, the highest enrichment level Iran was believed to have reached was 60%.

Burns: We don't believe Iran decided to weaponize its nuclear program

“We don’t believe that the supreme leader in Iran has yet made a decision to resume the weaponization program that we judge they suspended or stopped in 2003,” Burns said. “They’ve advanced very far to the point where it would only be a matter of weeks before they could enrich to 90% if they decided to cross that line.”

He said that the ballistic missile program has also been advancing at a worrisome pace.

Burns visited Israel last month for high-level meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad chief David Barnea. The CIA chief, whose visit came amid an escalation of security tensions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, also met with Egyptian President Ahmed Fattah El-Sisi as part of his trip to the Middle East.