Recent Iranian attacks appear to be an attempt to "change the status quo" after U.S. sanctions and the withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal have caused major problems for the country's regime, according to Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley Jr.
"I'd say that they're probably at an inflection point right now," Ashley told Fox News' Catherine Herridge in an interview. "As you look at the developments of JCPOA (the Iran deal), the lack of an economic outcome for them, and then, really, the sanctions which have put a lot of pressure on the Iranian government... I think this uptick that you’ve seen is a reflection of them trying to kind of change the status quo in the path that they’re on."
President Donald Trump's pressure campaign is working and creating hardships, he added, and Iran's economy is moving into a recession.
Iran's threat last week to surpass the uranium limits specified in the abandoned Iran nuclear deal may be to push European nations to push back U.S. sanctions, said Ashley.
"If they were to break out and start fully building out the program, then it’s still about a year out before they can actually get to a weapon," said Ashley.
Meanwhile, the DIA's focus has shifted from terrorism and to international competition, said Ashley, with China as the "long-term concern."
He also commented on North Korea, saying that the DIA does not believe Chairman Kim Jong Un is ready to denuclearize.
Ashley also spoke about the Machine-Assisted Rapid-Repository System (MARS) project, which combines current military intelligence databases with artificial intelligence to put together for a "virtual environment" allowing decision makers to assess strengths and weaknesses.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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