The United States intelligence community has now reportedly issued its most severe warning yet regarding Tehran’s nuclear pursuits, warning that the risk of Iran deciding to construct a nuclear weapon is on the rise, despite the fact that it has not yet done so.
The intelligence report, which was published late Thursday, serves as a critical prelude to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration and is consistent with warnings issued by other Western capitals.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has reported that Iran currently possesses sufficient fissile material to produce over a dozen nuclear weapons.
Trump has pledged to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and has threatened to increase the pressure on Tehran through sanctions in order to compel it to negotiate over its nuclear program and regional activities.
In July, the DNI issued its most recent report, which cautioned that Iran was conducting research activities that would render Tehran more capable of initiating a nuclear weapons program.
The DNI stated in the latest report that a public debate in Iran had taken place regarding the deterrent value of nuclear weapons since Israel and Iran first exchanged direct military attacks in April.
Before the Iranian attack on Israel on October 1 and the Israeli retaliation on October 26, the most recent U.S. intelligence assessment was conducted on September 26.
The most sophisticated missile defenses of Iran were disrupted by Israel’s strikes, which also destroyed some of the critical components necessary for the production of solid-fueled long-range ballistic missiles, which are among Iran’s most dangerous systems.
According to nongovernmental experts, these attacks have rendered Iran more susceptible to Israeli assaults than it was previously, which could potentially enhance Tehran’s interest in a nuclear deterrent.
In recent weeks, Iranian officials have expressed their willingness to engage in discussions with the incoming Trump administration regarding their nuclear and other activities.
However, they have also maintained that Tehran will not negotiate under coercion.
In Geneva last week, Iran’s foremost nuclear negotiators engaged in discussions with their European counterparts and expressed their eagerness for additional dialogue.
Nevertheless, European officials who were involved in the negotiations stated that Tehran did not propose any new initiatives to reduce its nuclear activities and that it would not take unilateral measures to alleviate international concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear work.
In the interim, Iran’s nuclear program is expanding. According to data from the United Nations Atomic Agency, Iran currently possesses an adequate quantity of highly enriched uranium to produce four nuclear weapons.
In 2018, Trump exited the nuclear agreement and implemented extensive sanctions that impeded trade between the United States and the majority of European nations with Tehran during his inaugural term.
Tehran resumed the expansion of its nuclear program one year later.
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