LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The U.S. issued new sanctions against Iran, this time for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia. This latest round of sanctions comes as Iran is getting ever closer to developing nuclear weapons. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog reportedly believes Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium that's enriched to near weapons-grade. For more on this, our co-host Steve Inskeep spoke to Seyed Hossein Mousavian. He's a former Iranian diplomat who relocated to the U.S. and is now at Princeton University.
SEYED HOSSEIN MOUSAVIAN: The truth is that after President Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, the U.S. and Iran adopted a policy of reciprocal pressure, which has been practically a lose-lose policy. President Trump killed the nuclear deal, then we had President Biden. President Biden not only maintained Trump's 1,500 sanctions but also added more sanctions. In response, Iran further increased its nuclear capabilities until it reached a breakout time of one or two weeks.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
We should define that for people. That means that if Iran said, we're going for a bomb, they could have the necessary uranium on hand possibly within a couple of weeks. That's what you mean by breakout time.
MOUSAVIAN: Exactly.
INSKEEP: OK. The Biden administration did make an effort to resurrect the nuclear deal, sent an envoy to arrange that, if it was possible. The Iranians didn't seem that eager, and in any case, nothing happened. Did Iran miss an opportunity there?
MOUSAVIAN: I would say, both parties, they really missed an opportunity, because in August 2022 there was a chance for making a deal between Iran and the U.S, Iran and the world powers which, Iranians, they delayed because President Biden could not give a guarantee that the next U.S. president cannot kill the deal. In 2023, Steve, there was another opportunity, which I believe the U.S. missed this opportunity this time, because there was a tentative agreement that they would start negotiations in October 2023. Nevertheless, October 7, Israel-Hamas war was a reason for the U.S. to back off.
INSKEEP: Do you think there is a real possibility that Iran would take that final step and reach for an actual nuclear weapon?
MOUSAVIAN: I don't believe Iran would go to nuclear bomb as long as Iran is not attacked. If Iran is attacked by the U.S., or U.S. and Israel, I think there would be a huge risk that Iran would weaponize.
INSKEEP: Seyed Hossein Mousavian is a Middle East security and nuclear policy expert at Princeton University and was previously an Iranian diplomat and government official. Thanks so much.
MOUSAVIAN: Thank you, Steve. I wish you all the best.
(SOUNDBITE OF SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE'S "SCHOOL OF THE FLOWER") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
