Iran must be prevented from fabricating nuclear weapons, the former leader of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s nonproliferation program said in a recent speech, as world powers attempt to revive a 2015 nuclear pact with the Middle Eastern country.
“One thing that I need to emphasis is: Iran should not, and cannot, make nuclear weapons,” said Dr. Brent Park, ex-deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation. “We all need to make sure of that.”
Park’s comments came shortly before President Joe Biden and European leaders urged Tehran to return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a deal that eased sanctions but constrained the country’s nuclear pursuits.
President Donald Trump abandoned the accord in 2018, describing it as “horrible” and “one-sided”. Iran has since ratcheted up its work with uranium, material that can be used in the core of a nuclear weapon, and has breached restrictions once levied against it.
Negotiations with Iran are expected to resume by the end of November, following a monthslong hiatus that coincided with the election of Ebrahim Raisi, the Islamic republic’s new president. Biden over the weekend said talks are “scheduled to resume.”
“For those of you not following JCPOA, they’re actually going back to Vienna to work with our European partners,” Park said Oct. 28 during an appearance with a local South Carolina group. “So, hopefully, there will be some progress forward to make the region stable.”
Iran loomed large at the confirmation hearing for proposed Park’s successor, Corey Hinderstein an ex-National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) nonproliferation hand and long-time Iran watcher. Hinderstein’s nomination was on the Senate’s executive calendar at deadline, but the full Senate had not scheduled a vote.
Meanwhile, the NNSA has shifted longtime headquarters-based civil servant David Huizenga into an advisory role to the agency’s administrator, as part of which he’ll assist the Biden administration with JCPOA negotiations. The White House has so far not rushed to return to the deal.
