Iran’s Nuclear Program Is ‘Galloping Forward,’ Blinken Warns
- He says quitting deal only led Iran to enrich at higher levels
- Republican Risch predicts Iran won’t negotiate tougher accord
Antony Blinken during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on June 8.
Photographer: Al Drago/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Iran is rapidly developing its nuclear program, arguing that returning to the 2015 deal that former President Donald Trump quit is a necessary first step to prevent Tehran from acquiring a bomb.
“Iran’s nuclear program is galloping forward,” Blinken said Tuesday during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the State Department’s budget. Trump’s withdrawal from the deal and imposition of sanctions only led Iran to enrich “at higher levels” and build more “advanced centrifuges,” he said.