Mullen was asked if Iran now had enough fissile material to make a bomb. He responded, "We think they do, quite frankly. And 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."
State Department spokesman Robert A. Wood said Sunday that it was not possible say how much fissile material Iran has accumulated.
See? No worries. Iran might not have enough for a bomb for several years. Or maybe just months.
And of course, they have to process the raw material.
And shape it into a form that can be detonated.
And weaponize it to fit on a ballistic missile.
See? Iran has lots of steps to go before they get to a working nuclear weapon.
What's that? At what point will the West stop Iran from going from "maybe they don't have enough nuclear material" to a "functioning atomic missile"? I don't know.
I guess if we don't plan on stopping Iran from going nuclear, these periodic debates we have about exactly where Iran is in the process are rather irrelevant. Iran will get there if we don't stop them, right?
Still, why worry? Iran says it is all about cheap and clean nuclear energy:
Iran, now subjected to various penalties by the U.N., the U.S. and others over its nuclear program, denies it wants to build a bomb. It asserts its program is intended to provide the country with the homegrown ability to generate electricity from nuclear reactors.
Iran is so dedicated to cheap and clean nuclear energy to help their economy that they are willing to endure any Western economic sanctions that we might inflict on them.
But Iran has finally fully explained their nuclear energy program.
It's complicated, and it may resemble a nuclear weapons program, but it is truly all about the electricity.
--First, Iran builds atomic missiles.
--Second, Iran launches every nuclear missile they have at Israel.
--Third, the resulting detonations create a strong westerly wind from the shock wave of the nuclear explosions.
--Fourth, the shock wave expands east into Iran.
--Fifth, and this is key, the shock wave spins thousands of wind turbines placed all along the Zagros Mountains, generating electricity that is transmitted to Iranian cities and villages.
--Sixth, repeat nukings during peak evening electricity use.
See? It's all about the electricity.