Hans Blix - knew there were no nuclear weapons in Iraq... compare Iran
Posted: 25th June 2025
Hans Blix: I knew the truth on WMDs in Iraq – now I fear a repeat in Iran. UN’s former chief weapons inspector, who was sure Iraq didn’t have a nuclear arsenal, speaks out about Israel’s attacks and potential US action. The US risks repeating the “awful” results of the Iraq War if it joins Israel in trying to destroy the Iranian regime, former chief UN weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix has warned. The current situation with Iran has strong “similarities,” said Blix. The US and Israel – potentially with UK support – are “both using the suspicions of acquisition of nuclear arms as a main argument in favour of action. In reality, what they want is regime change. Blix doubts the regime in Tehran intended to go ahead in building a bomb before it was attacked. Iran has enriched uranium to a 60 per cent level – far above the 3.67 per cent needed to generate electricity, but still below the 80 or 90 per cent required to produce a nuclear weapon. Blix thinks Iran has done this purely with the “highly understandable” aim of securing bargaining power for negotiations, in retaliation at Trump unliterally withdrawing in 2018 from an internationally agreed deal – which Iran was adhering to – and imposing sanctions. Suggesting a practical solution to the crisis, he says that Iran should be encouraged to collaborate on a joint civil nuclear power programme with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He admits this would be difficult because Iran and Saudi Arabia are fierce Sunni-Shia rivals, but thinks it could improve trust and transparency.