2013 Briefing Book - Print Version - Aipac

IRAN
How a Nuclear Iran Would Undermine U.S. Interests
A nuclear-armed Iran would pose a direct threat to American interests and an existential threat to
Israel, America’s strategic partner and ally. It would likely lead to nuclear proliferation elsewhere
in the region and around the globe, while fundamentally altering the strategic balance of the
Middle East.
EMBOLDEN THE REGIME
Possessing the capability to produce nuclear weapons would further embolden Iran’s efforts to
dominate the Middle East.
UNDERMINE U.S. GOALS IN THE REGION
A nuclear-capable Iran would likely further intensify its support of Middle East terrorist groups,
particularly Hamas and Hizballah. This would endanger efforts to negotiate a peace agreement
between Israel and the Palestinians—already a complicated process. Iran could also share its
nuclear technology with anti-American terrorist groups, greatly increasing the threat of nuclear
terrorism and blackmail.
IRAN’S PROGRESS TOWARD THE BOMB
Iran has accomplished most of the key steps needed to achieve a nuclear weapons capability. Just two remain.
Obtain raw
Convert the
Convert the
1 2 3 4
uranium from
local mines and
foreign imports.
Iran imported
531 tons of uranium oxide
from South Africa in the
early 1980s.
uranium into
yellowcake to
begin the
process of
enriching, or purifying,
the uranium for use in
a weapon.
Iran’s supply of yellowcake
would last 30 years at current
enrichment rates.
yellowcake into
a gas to feed
into centrifuges.
Iran has produced 371 tons
of uranium hexafluoride gas,
which is enough to produce
30 bombs if further enriched.
Install
thousands of
centrifuges—
machines that
spin at supersonic
speed—to carry out
the enrichment.
As of November 2012,
Iran had installed more than
13,500 centrifuges, including
hundreds of advanced models.
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