‘Diplomacy not enough to stop a nuclear Iran,’ Israeli intelligence says

Iran is working at full capacity to get a nuclear weapon and diplomacy won’t be enough to stop it, an Israeli military intelligence officer told the Knesset on Tuesday, a day before the international community reconvenes nuclear talks with Iran.

Brig. Gen. Itay Brun told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that although foreign pressure and internal affairs are pushing Tehran into dialogue with the international community, diplomatic pressure alone will not force Iran to alter its nuclear development policy.

The IDF’s military intelligence research division chief said that if Iran were to move ahead and enrich uranium from 20% to 93%, it would have enough fissile material by the end of the year to produce one nuclear bomb.

Uranium enriched to 20% purity can be brought to 93% within six to 18 months.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany — the P5+1 — will meet with Iran for a second round of talks about its nuclear program on Wednesday in Baghdad. Israeli officials have expressed skepticism that any deal will stop Iran from building nuclear weapons.

Brun said Iran wants to enter into negotiations with the international community and may show “gestures of generosity,” but will insist on continuing to enrich uranium to and beyond 20% at sites like Qom and Bushehr.