Iran has enough fissile material for nuke weapon, but no bomb yet:US

Washington, Mar 2 (ANI): Iran has enough fissile material to build a nuclear weapon, but the Islamic Republic doesn't have a bomb yet, a top US military official has said.

The military official said on Sunday that he believes Iran has enough fissile material to build a nuclear weapon, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Islamic Republic is a long way from having a bomb.

Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency revised its assessment of Iran's nuclear capabilities, saying it was wrong in earlier reports about Iran's ability to enrich enough uranium to make a nuclear weapon, FOX News reported.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, "We think they do, quite frankly," when asked Sunday about Iran's capacity.

"Iran having a nuclear weapon I've believed for a long time is a very, very bad outcome for the region and for the world," Mullen said.

But Gates said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the Iranians are not close to getting a weapon at this time.They're not close to a stockpile, they're not close to a weapon at this point and so there is some time," he said when asked whether Tehran could be deterred from pursuing its weapons effort.

Gates said the US will continue to pursue sanctions on Iran while also having an opportunity to engage with Europe as a means to "walk away from that program." (ANI)