White House Worried Iran ‘Weeks’ Away From Nuclear Weapons

The White House is worried Iran could develop a nuclear weapon in weeks, press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday, after Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted earlier in the day the country has accelerated its nuclear program.

“Yes, it definitely worries us,” Psaki said, adding the time needed for Iran to produce a nuclear weapon is down from about a year to less than a month.

The announcement came after a report earlier in the week that diplomatic officials now see little to no chance of a new nuclear deal with Iran being signed.

The Yisrael Hayom report noted that National Security Advisor Dr. Eyal Haluta had traveled to the U.S. to coordinate with American officials for a scenario in which the West fails to arrive at a deal with Iran.

A White House statement on Haluta’s meeting with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the two discussed “a range of regional and global security issues.”

Sullivan “emphasized that the United States is attuned to Israel’s concerns about threats to its security, including first and foremost from Iran and Iranian-backed proxies,” the White House said.

“Haluta and Sullivan also agreed to enhance ongoing coordination through the U.S.-Israel Strategic Consultative Group and bolster diplomatic and security coordination with other regional partners “wherever possible,” the statement continued.