As Iran comes on verge of creating nukes, U.S. can't just voice "concern" again - Ukraine’s ex-FM

In the absence of a resolute U.S. response to the reports of Iran’s handover of ballistic missiles to Russia, Tehran’s next step may be to complete the nuclear arms production cycle.

Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, head of the Russia Research Center Volodymyr Ohryzko expressed the opinion in an interview with Radio NV, reports Ukrinform.

The ex-minister noted that there is currently no verified reports confirming the supply of Iranian missiles to Russia but the likelihood is "quite high".

"Most likely, this is what is actually happening. What would a determined leader of the democratic world - I mean the U.S. - do if they were really determined? I think they would have long switched to the use of methods that would disallow not only such arms transfers, but also Iran's nuclear program as such," Ohryzko said.

According to the former top diplomat, Iran is currently on the verge of creating a nuclear weapon, and perhaps already going beyond it.

"This is a very thin ice – at any moment, a report may come that Iran already has a certain amount of nuclear weapons, missiles, and nuclear warheads being fitter, and the threat to the entire region becomes simply terrible. Here you can't be just ‘concerned’ again, you have to realize once again that you need to do pre-emptive things to thwart such developments," the diplomat stressed.

In this context, he noted that "everyone knows everything", in particular, where nuclear reactors and underground bunkers are located, where research and tests are run, etc.

"They know all of that. What is missing is the determination to make a certain decision. I am afraid that with this stance, we will see Iran become a nuclear state... and things may simply get out of control," foresaw the former minister.

As reported earlier, The Wall Street Journal, citing sources among U.S. and European officials, wrote that Iran had delivered a batch of short-range ballistic missiles to Russia as another powerful military tool to ise in the war against Ukraine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine urged Iran to refrain from transferring any types of weapons and military equipment to Russia, warning of “devastating” consequences for bilateral relations should such reports be confirmed.