Nuclear breakdown: Israel accuses Iran of developing a detonator for a bomb

The scientists who became the targets of Israel's recent attack on Iran were engaged in the creation of an explosive mechanism for a nuclear warhead, according to Minister in the Israeli Ministry of Finance Ze'ev Elkin. According to him, this strike set back Tehran's nuclear program for several years. In Iran, however, they say that the deceased specialists were engaged in the development of peaceful technologies and sustainable scientific progress. Israel's statements are more likely designed to convince the United States and EU countries to abandon the resumption of negotiations with Tehran, experts believe. A new round of meetings between Iran and the Eurotroika will be held in Istanbul on Friday. It will take place against the background of the threat of launching a mechanism capable of returning all UN sanctions against Tehran that were lifted under the nuclear deal. At the same time, on July 22, trilateral consultations were held with the participation of Russia, China and Iran.

Consequences of Israeli strikes on Iran

Iranian scientists, who became the targets of Israeli strikes on June 13, were developing an explosive mechanism for a nuclear warhead. This was stated by the Minister in the Ministry of Finance of Israel for the reconstruction of the north and south of the country, a member of the Knesset from the Yamin Mamlahti party and a member of the military-political cabinet, Zeev Elkin, at a meeting with journalists attended by Izvestia.

— According to some estimates, Iran could achieve the creation of a nuclear bomb within the next six months. The only thing that kept him from doing this was the lack of an explosive mechanism. A group of military scientists worked on its development as part of a classified project of the Iranian Ministry of Defense. All of them were destroyed on the first night of the Israeli attack," he said.

According to him, in this way Israel struck not only at the technical base, but also at the intellectual core of the Iranian nuclear program.

— Now, not only the reactors where uranium enrichment took place have been destroyed, but also the potential that would allow Iran to achieve the creation of a nuclear bomb and make an explosive mechanism. That is, as a result of this attack, Iran was pushed back several years in the implementation of its nuclear plans," Elkin said.

If we talk about an explosive device based on the Israeli position, then it is considered one of the most complex elements of nuclear weapons, says Vladimir Sazhin, senior researcher at the Center for the Study of the Near and Middle East at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

— The mere presence of weapons-grade enriched uranium is not enough. To cause a chain reaction, it is necessary to simultaneously and precisely compress a metal ball of uranium using an internal explosion — for this purpose, an electronically controlled synchronized fuse system is mounted around it. A delay of at least a thousandth of a second can lead to failure," the expert told Izvestia.

What is Iran accusing Israel of?

According to the Israeli military, at least nine senior Iranian scientists involved in the country's nuclear program were killed. In Tehran, such actions are regarded as a direct attack not only on Iran's scientific sovereignty, but also on its future.

The Deputy Minister of Science, Research and Technology of the Islamic Republic, Peyman Salehi, commenting on the incident, stressed that the deceased specialists were engaged in the development of exclusively peaceful technologies and sustainable scientific progress. "They have made an important contribution to the promotion of the country, to strengthening its scientific independence, sustainable development and security," he told the IRNA news agency.

Tehran continues to insist on the peaceful nature of its nuclear program and accuses Israel of systematically destroying the country's scientific potential under the pretext of combating the nuclear threat.

Statements about the work of Iranian specialists on a detonator for a nuclear warhead generally fit into Tel Aviv's attempts to put information pressure on Washington and Tehran, orientalist Leonid Tsukanov tells Izvestia.

— This is due to several goals — the intention, firstly, to confirm the legality of the June operation against Iran (and at the same time legitimize hypothetical future strikes on its territory). Secondly, to convince the United States and EU countries to abandon the resumption of negotiations with Tehran," he added.

Finally, it is an attempt to discredit the Iranian scientific apparatus in order to weaken the republic's international cooperation with other countries in the nuclear industry, the expert concluded.

The response to the attack was rocket fire at Israeli and American facilities. That's how the 12-day escalation began, culminating in the US strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure on the night of June 22. A day later, the republic launched a retaliatory missile attack on the American base of Al-Udeid in Qatar. Official Tehran then stated that it does not seek further escalation, but "will act harshly in case of new acts of aggression."

After the exchange of blows, US President Donald Trump expressed the hope that the Iranian attack on the base in Qatar was a "release of steam" and would open the way to peace. He said that the parties had agreed on a truce, which, according to the plan, should develop into an official cease-fire.

Nuclear deal negotiations

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said that Iran's uranium enrichment facilities were "largely destroyed" but "partially preserved." Vladimir Sazhin also admits that, despite the losses, some research groups continue to exist. "The leaders, those who oversaw individual technological units, were probably killed, but the institutes are working, and databases, documents — all this has been preserved," the expert explained.

He believes that although the implementation of the project will be slowed down, it is impossible to completely stop it: the scientific and technical foundation remains, and over time, most likely, the developments will be restored. This once again raises the importance of the negotiations on the nuclear deal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that the truce "remains fragile" and directly depends on further steps by the United States and Israel. "We are open to dialogue. The negotiations are indirect at this stage, but if they are ready for a mutually beneficial solution, I am ready for dialogue," the head of the department said, commenting on the possibility of negotiations with the American side.

On July 21, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic, Ismail Bagai, announced that a new round of negotiations between Iran and the Eurotroika — France, Germany and the United Kingdom - would be held in Istanbul on Friday.

The talks will take place against the background of the threat of the so-called "snapback" mechanism, which provides for the automatic return of all UN sanctions against Iran. According to the provisions of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), any of its parties can initiate this process by filing a complaint about non-compliance with the terms of the agreement. After that, a 30-day period is launched, during which the UN Security Council must vote on extending the lifting of sanctions. If the resolution is not adopted, the restrictions will be returned automatically, even if China and Russia object. But the legitimacy of the "eurotroika" to restore all sanctions against Iran has been lost, Mikhail Ulyanov, head of the Russian delegation in Vienna, told Izvestia earlier.

Eurotroika has already stated that Iran must return to nuclear negotiations by the end of August. Otherwise, the snapback mechanism may be launched, which expires on October 18.

Prior to the talks in Istanbul, the Iranian delegation held consultations on July 22 with representatives of China and Russia, who had previously supported Tehran's position on maintaining the nuclear deal.