Iran ‘was three days from getting a nuke’ before war as details of horror alliance emerge | World | News
Operation Epic Fury was launched in late February (Image: Getty)
A former US national security advisor believes Iran would have been able to get a nuclear weapon from one of its allies within days before Donald Trump ordered the launch of Operation Epic Fury. John Bolton, the national security advisor of Mr Trump during his first term at the White House, has claimed the alliance between North Korea and Iran is strong enough that the latter could have bought a nuclear weapon from the hermit regime.
The US attorney claimed a wire transfer to the Central Bank of North Korea would have been what was needed to secure the deal before the war. Following the payment, he added, Pyongyang could “put a nuclear device on an aeroplane, route it through Russia” and deliver it to the regime in Tehran within three days.
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Speaking to The Sun, Mr Bolton described the ties between the two regimes as “quite real” when it comes to ballistic missiles and nuclear pursuit.
He added: “That’s what the proliferation threat is all about. Let’s face it, in the China-Russia axis that’s forming right now, Iran and North Korea are two outriders, and so the cooperation between them is very threatening.”
This came as, on Tuesday night, North Korea issued a statement condeming the US and Israeli strikes on Iran as “acts of aggression”. The statement added: “Any rhetorical threats and military action, which violate the political system and territorial integrity of the relevant country, interfere in its internal affairs and openly advocate the attempt to overthrow its social system, deserve worldwide criticism and rejection as they can never be tolerated.”
The US and Israel jointly launched Operation Epic Fury on the last day of February. In the first day of aerial strike, the operation targeted the compound of the then Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, who died in the attack.
Over the following days, the US said to have successfully targeted several Iranian vessels and to have quashed the country’s drone and missile capability.
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Operation Epic Fury was launched in late February (Image: Getty)
Iran has, in turn, launched a series of strikes against its neighbours, including the UAE, drawing strong condemnations among Gulf leaders.
Mr Trump has outlined the three goals he wants the operation to achieve, which also include eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat.
In the run-up to the conflict, Iran and US diplomats had met in a bid to thrash out a nuclear deal. Iran has maintained its nuclear programme is merely for civilian use.
In June last year, US bunker-buster bombs damages Iran’s principal uranium-enrichment sites at Fordow and Natanz. Iran still retained the know-how necessary to rebuilt its nuclear programme, although there hasn’t been a clear sign it had made serious efforts to do so, and still has 440kg of 60% enriched uranium. If enriched to 90%, this quantity would be enough to create 11 nuclear bombs.
Mr Bolton said fears the regime could get its hands on nuclear weapons are a “convincing argument” for a regime change.
