Iran is searching for technology to produce Octogen which can be employed as part of the detonator in an atomic bomb, according to Times of Israel.
But do not worry, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the Octogen would only be used in conventional weapons for "destructive and penetration power.”
During a ceremony to inaugurate a Octogen production plant, Dehqan stressed Iran’s goal of gaining the know-how to make the explosive material in order to avoid relying on external sources.
“Concurrently with its efforts to increase the precision-striking power of its weapons systems, the Defense Ministry has also paid attention to boosting the destructive and penetration power of different weapons’ warheads and has put on its agenda the acquisition of the technical know-how to produce Octogen explosive materials and Octogen-based weapons,” he said, according to a report from the semi-official FARS news agency.
Dehqan wants the U.S. to allow Iran more flexibility in their own research capabilities. “We should endeavor to reinvigorate our infrastructures in the defense industries, reduce dependence and use domestic industries,” he said.
"We should strengthen ourselves to the level that we can prevent failure and acquire victory over our enemies."
In the past week alone, the United States has received threats from Iranian generals, seized Iranian rockets and weapons headed to Yemen, been threatened repeatedly by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and ordered the withdrawal of military families out of Turkey.
So the question still remains, are we winning or losing in the Middle East?