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IRAN could be just six months away from having nuclear missiles ready to strike its enemies, an expert has warned.
The Middle Eastern power continues to bolster its nuclear arsenal but US President Joe Biden has refused to support Israeli attacks on Iran‘s nuclear facilities.
An Iranian Shahad-3 Emad missileSupplied
Iran has a series of dangerous nuclear sites, some of which are hidden underground
AP
Reuters
An expert who has visited the sites on several occasions has warned that Tehran could have ten nuclear warheads in months.
Former deputy director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Olli Heinonen said if Iran “rushed” they could be ready by April.
He told The Times: “You cannot wipe out a country with those missiles, but you can threaten it and be in a much stronger position in negotiations.”
Other nuclear experts have previously warned that Tehran could produce a bomb in as little as six months from one of its “covert” nuclear hubs.
Although all precise locations aren’t known, it is believed Iran has several hidden weapons facilities – all buried at a depth of 1,640ft underground.
Since 2019, Iran has increased its amount of enriched uranium from 997kg to 5,525kg.
Referring to Iran’s 180-missile attack on Tuesday, Heinonen said the missiles fired at Israel could be used for the delivery of nuclear weapons.
He said: “You just put something different where the payload is and design the weapons package differently so it survives the flight.
“That is why the US and UK are worried.”
It comes as Israel plots a huge retaliation following Iran’s unprecedented missile blitz on Tuesday night.
Iran claimed it used its new high-tech 11,000mph hypersonic missiles for the first time in the attack.
The missile dubbed “Fattah” – meaning “Victory” – was unveiled at a grand ceremony last year.
Furious Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the terror state had made a “big mistake” after it unleashed 181 missiles.
Biden confirmed that the US – which has moved a huge naval fleet into the region – is working with Israel to fine-tune the response.
But the US leader has insisted he is opposed to Israeli strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities as a response to Tuesday’s unprecedented missile attack.
He said: “We’ll be discussing with the Israelis what they’re going to do, but all seven of us [G7 nations] agree that they have a right to respond, but they should respond proportionally.”
A view of what is believed to be a uranium-enrichment facility near Qom, Iran, in a satellite photographReuters
Reuters
AFP
AFPIran blasted Israel with dozens of missiles amid fury over recent airstrikes on Lebanon and the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah last week.
The attack appears to have damaged Israel’s Nevatim air base.
Satellite images taken on Wednesday show damage to the roofs of a series of buildings near the main runway.
But Israel is pressing on with its ground invasion of Lebanon as it pushes Hezbollah back from its northern border amid ongoing airstrikes on the terror hotbed.
Troops and tanks poured over the border earlier this week for a much-anticipated showdown with the Iran-back terror proxy.
The Middle East now appears a step closer to all-out war as Israel has deployed more troops into Lebanon today.
Israel’s military confirmed infantry and armoured units were joining ground operations in southern Lebanon.
The focus of the operation is clearing out Hezbollah terror sites to halt rocket attacks which have driven 60,000 from homes in Northern Israel in the last 11 months, Israeli sources said.
It claimed actions there would remain “limited and localised”.
But the addition of infantry and armoured troops could suggest the operation has moved beyond limited commando raids.
And Hezbollah’s media boss Mohammad Afif warned the group was “only in the first round” of fighting.
English (US)