Is Iran Pursuing A Program To Develop A Nuclear Detonator?

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan announced plans to boost the penetration and destructive power of missile payloads along with the much improved precision-striking capability. FARS News Agency

Times of Israel: Iran announces plan to produce explosives used in missile warheads

Defense minister says country wants to make Octogen to improve ‘destructive power’; material also used in nuke detonators.

Iran intends to produce the powerful explosive Octogen for use in the warheads of its missiles to improve their “destructive and penetration power,” Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said Wednesday.

Octogen is used as an explosive in penetrating missile warheads and as a solid rocket fuel — but is also employed as part of the detonator in an atomic bomb.

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.

Read more ....

Update #1: Iran Working to Increase Penetration Power of Military Warheads (FARS News Agency)
Update #2: Under Nuclear Deal Iran Can Have Nuclear Detonators (Investor's Business Daily Editorial)

WNU Editor: Even if Iran's defense minister is stressing the point that this program is only being pursued to improve the "destructive power" of a conventional warhead .... this is raising red flags  everywhere.