Kerry and Moniz Contradict Obama: Iran’s Breakout Time Never Goes to Zero

WALLACE: “But the president said in April.”

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OBAMA: In year 13, 14, 15, they have advanced centrifuges, they can enrich uranium rapidly, and then at that point, the breakout times would have shrunk almost down to zero.

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WALLACE: “That’s not ending the program.”

MONIZ: “The breakout time will — in fact, will not be going to zero at that time.” [Crosstalk]

WALLACE: “So, the president was mistaken?”

MONIZ: “The – I’m just telling you what the agreement has, the final agreement has the one year breakout time securely for 10 years. And then there will be a soft landing after that for — for several years.”

WALLACE: “Right. So by year 13, 14, it’s –“

KERRY: “Never ever goes to zero –“

MONIZ: “No, it will -- it will –“ [Crosstalk]

MONIZ: “It will never go to zero ever. And furthermore, let me add something else, where we are using the word ‘breakout time’ unconventionally in the sense of applying only to the nuclear materials. There’s a lot more you need for a nuclear explosive and if you look at the agreement, you will see an indefinite commitment to not pursuing four major activities needed for a weapon. And in addition, a 15 years of no work at all on uranium or plutonium metallurgy.”

KERRY: “In 25 years, Chris, where there entire uranium cycle is being tracked, from the mining all the way through every component of it. So our intelligence community has told us, they would have to have, to make a weapon illicitly or covertly, a completely separate secondary supply of uranium and they won’t be able to do that.”