Only regime change prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, former Israel Navy commander says

Jerusalem Post/Middle East/Iran News“Producing a nuclear bomb is a complex and difficult undertaking. The Iranians were very close when the war began,” V.-Adm. (ret.) Eliezer "Chaney" Marom told 103FM.Follow us on GoogleA man crosses the street, past a billboard showing Iranian centrifuges and nuclear scientists killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, August 29, 2025(photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)By103FMJULY 22, 2026 16:11Iran’s resolve and motivation to pursue nuclear weapons has only increased following the war, V.-Adm. (ret.) Eliezer "Chaney" Marom, a former Israel Navy commander, told 103FM on Wednesday, warning that only regime change could prevent Tehran from obtaining a bomb.“Producing a nuclear bomb is a complex and difficult undertaking. The Iranians were very close when the war began, and fortunately, we disrupted it significantly,” Marom said.He added that, according to intelligence assessments, Iran had been extremely close to completing the process.“They were weeks away from a nuclear weapon, unequivocally. I am not the only one saying this. All the intelligence agencies, both Israeli and American, are saying it clearly, including the International Atomic Energy Agency,” he said.Israel must not be complacent with Iran war resultsDespite the damage inflicted on the nuclear program, the former Navy commander warned against complacency, estimating that Iran’s motivation to obtain nuclear weapons had only increased following the war.Former Israel Navy commander V.-Adm. (ret.) Eliezer ''Chaney'' Marom. (credit: MOSHE SHAI/FLASH90)“The Iranians have drawn one clear conclusion from this entire war: ‘Had we possessed nuclear weapons, everything would have looked different.’ Therefore, their motivation is through the roof. There is only one way to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and that is regime change,” he said.US 'probably do not have the capability' to destroy Pickaxe Mountain's nuclear plantMarom later addressed reports that Iran had transferred thousands of centrifuges to a fortified site near Natanz known as Pickaxe Mountain. The facility was excavated in rocky terrain dozens of meters underground and is considered particularly difficult to penetrate.“Granite is a very, very, very hard mineral. It is almost impossible to penetrate, at least with the bombs the Americans currently possess. At a depth of more than 100 meters underground, beneath a mountain made of granite, the Americans probably do not have the capability,” he said.Marom said that during his military service, he had visited a similar underground facility in another country.“I had the privilege of visiting such a facility in another country, also deep underground. I can only say that there really is an enormous stockpile of ammunition in that country that is located underground,” he said.However, Marom said the fortified site was not necessarily the issue that concerned him most.“Something else concerns me,” he said. “The Iranians have already enriched uranium to various levels. They have tons of uranium enriched to 5% and 20%, as well as the familiar figure of 440 kg. enriched to 60%. I am talking about tons. The weaponization group is very difficult to track.”Follow us on Google