Former nuclear chief says Iran can build bomb, but no order given

Iran could produce a nuclear weapon if it chose to, a former top official said, but insisted no such directive has yet been given.

“We are capable of building a nuclear weapon, but no official order has been issued so far,” said Fereydoon Abbasi, former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.

If Tehran were to pursue the bomb, he added, strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure would be ineffective. “Our power lies in our scientists, not facilities.”