France claims Iran close to nuclear weapons

Lerner made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Paris alongside Richard Moore, the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service. He described Tehran’s nuclear program as one of the greatest concerns for Paris and London.

“Our services are working side by side to face what is undoubtedly one of the threats, if not to say the most critical threat, in the coming months – the possible atomic proliferation in Iran,” he said, as quoted by Reuters.

Echoing those concerns, Moore claimed that Iran’s “nuclear ambitions continue to threaten all of us”.

Tehran has repeatedly declared that its nuclear program remains purely peaceful as always and that the Islamic Republic had no intention of developing nuclear weapons as a matter of an Islamic and state principal.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has issued an official fatwa (religious decree) clearly establishing that any form of acquisition, development, and use of nuclear weapons violate Islamic principles and are therefore forbidden.

Tehran has proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear program to the world by signing the 2015 nuclear deal. However, Washington’s exit in May 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the agreement in limbo.

Iran started to reduce its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in a series of pre-announced and clear steps after witnessing the other parties’ failure to secure its interests under the accord.

Earlier this month, Kamal Kharrazi, a senior aide to Ayatollah Khamenei, confirmed that Tehran has “the technical capabilities necessary to produce nuclear weapons.”

He stressed that while the country has no plans to do so, “if the survival of Iran comes under serious threat, we reserve the right to reconsider”.