WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. intelligence assessment says Iran is not currently pursuing nuclear weapons, but has stepped up activities that could help it develop them.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s assessment released on Monday said Iran has decided to increase its ability to produce an atomic bomb since 2020, but has stopped before that so far.
The findings matched previous US assessments of Iran’s nuclear program, though many in Congress and elsewhere were skeptical of them.
The Biden administration has been defending its desire to return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, since taking office. That effort has been complicated in recent months by the suspension of its chief negotiator, Rob Malley, who was placed on unpaid leave last month pending an investigation into allegations he mishandled information classified.
“Iran is not currently undertaking major nuclear weapons development activities that would be required to produce a testable nuclear device,” according to the report’s two-page unclassified summary.
However, Iran is also pursuing “research and development activities that would bring it closer to producing the fissile material needed to complete a nuclear device following a decision to do so,” the report said.
In this regard, Iran continues to violate the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal on uranium enrichment that it reached with world powers, according to the report. The Trump administration withdrew from this agreement in 2018.
“Iran continues to increase the size and level of enrichment of its uranium stockpile beyond JCPOA limits,” the report said, adding that it also continues to exceed JCPOA restrictions on research. and the development of advanced centrifuges.
These findings were generally backed up by inspections by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In addition to the nuclear discoveries, the US intelligence report says Iran’s ballistic missile programs continue to pose a significant threat to countries in the Middle East. “Iran has focused on improving the accuracy, lethality and reliability of its missiles,” he said.