Iran may be speeding up its attempts to develop a nuclear bomb due to the recent weakening of its power in the region, U.S. intelligence has suggested, The New York Times reported.
The intelligence, which was gathered in the final months of the Biden administration and shared with the new administration of President Donald Trump, indicates that Tehran is seeking a shortcut to a bomb that would enable the regime to convert its uranium stocks into a weapon within months rather than years.
Israel diminished Iran's power significantly by striking harsh blows against its proxies in the region, particularly Hezbollah and Hamas. In addition, Tehran failed to cause Israel much damage with its missile strikes against the country in the past year, and is trying to find new ways to deter a military strike by Israel or the U.S.
Iran was further weakened in July when its President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash.
“U.S. officials believe Iran has the know-how to make an older-style nuclear weapon, one that could be put together far faster than the more sophisticated designs Tehran has considered in the past,” according to the New York Times. “Such a weapon would not be able to be miniaturized to fit on a ballistic missile. It would also probably be far less reliable than any more modern weapon design … But such a crude weapon is the kind of device Iran could build quickly, test and declare to the world that it had become a nuclear power.”
In another worrying sign, The Times of Israel pointed out that last month, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said Tehran was “pressing the gas pedal” on its enrichment of uranium to near weapons grade.
Grossi said Tehran had told the International Atomic Energy Agency that it would “dramatically” accelerate the enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, closer to the approximate 90% of weapons grade.
Western powers determined that such a step was a serious escalation and that no other nation had ever done so without producing nuclear weapons.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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