• Iranian atomic energy chief says country has capability to build nuclear weapon.
• Mohammad Eslami’s comments likely to exacerbate concerns about the nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.
• Comments are similar to those made recently by a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Kamal Kharrazi.

According to an Iranian news agency, Iran’s atomic energy chief says the country has the capability to build a nuclear weapon but has no plans to do so.

Mohammad Eslami’s remarks are similar to those made recently by a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader.

Such public statements by top officials are unusual, and they are likely to exacerbate concerns about the nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.

It has increased its nuclear activities since a deal to limit them fell through.

When the United States withdrew from the 2015 agreement, crippling economic sanctions were reinstated.

Iran has repeatedly claimed that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes, but Western powers and the global nuclear watchdog are sceptical.

Western officials have warned that time is running out to restore the deal before Iran’s programme becomes irreversible.

How much uranium is required to make a bomb?
Mr Eslami reiterated comments made by the senior adviser, Kamal Kharrazi, in remarks reported on Monday by the semi-official Fars news agency.

“As Mr Kharrazi mentioned, Iran has the technical capability to build an atomic bomb,” Mr Eslami said.

Mr Kharrazi stated to Al Jazeera on July 17th, “Iran has the technical means to produce a nuclear bomb, but there has been no decision by Iran to build one.”

Concerns have grown over the so-called breakout time, or the amount of time it will take Iran to accumulate enough highly enriched uranium to build a nuclear weapon.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the global atomic energy agency, stated in June that Iran could obtain such a quantity in a matter of weeks. During the period when the nuclear deal was in place, the US estimated that the breakout time was about a year.

Mr Grossi, on the other hand, stated that just because Iran has enough material does not mean it can build a nuclear bomb.

The IAEA reported in May that Iran had 43.1kg (95lb) of uranium enriched to 60% purity. A nuclear weapon requires approximately 25kg of uranium enriched to 90% purity.

Iran’s claims that it has the technical know-how to develop a nuclear weapon come at a time when Iran and world powers are at odds over reviving the 2015 deal.

Months of on-again, off-again talks in Vienna have stalled, and rare indirect talks between the US and Iran on the issue in Qatar in June ended without agreement.

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