(TIME) W.J. Hennigan - Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, tells TIME that the Iranians "are very close this time" to a nuclear weapon. "I think they like the idea of being able to break out." Yet even if Tehran decides to amass enough fuel for a bomb, it hasn't yet standardized a design for a warhead that's small enough to be affixed atop any of its 3,000 ballistic missiles. Nor has Iran shown that it can build a reentry vehicle capable of surviving the searing heat, pressure and vibration of falling from space back to Earth. "We haven't seen any of that. That's what's going to take a little time for them to build." He estimates it would take Iran more than a year to develop this capability with a robust testing program. Iran has, however, shown its missiles have a proven ability to strike targets with precision. In attacks in January 2020 on two Iraqi bases, Al Asad and Erbil, where hundreds of Americans were stationed, "those missiles hit within tens of meters of their targets," turning buildings, aircraft and living quarters into smoldering rubble.
2021-11-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive