According to an Associated Press report, the assessment from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released Monday claimed that Iran has moved to increase its capacity to produce an atomic bomb since 2020 but has stopped short of that so far.
“Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities that would be necessary to produce a testable nuclear device,” according to the two-page unclassified synopsis of the report.
However, Iran is also pursuing “research and development activities that would bring it closer to producing the fissile material needed for completing a nuclear device following a decision to do so,” the report claimed.
The report further claimed that in that regard, Iran continues to violate the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal regarding uranium enrichment that it agreed to with world powers.
“Iran continues to increase the size and enrichment level of its uranium stockpile beyond JCPOA limits,” the report claimed, adding that it also continues to exceed JCPOA restrictions on advanced centrifuge research and development.
The report added that these findings have been generally supported by inspections from the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In addition to the nuclear findings claims, the US intelligence report said that Iranian ballistic missile programs continue to pose a significant threat to countries around the Middle East. “Iran has emphasized improving the accuracy, lethality, and reliability of its missiles,” it said.
Tehran has invariably asserted that its nuclear program is aimed at purely peaceful purposes and that the Islamic Republic had no intention of developing nuclear weapons.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has even issued a fatwa (religious decree) declaring that the acquisition, development, and use of nuclear weapons violated Islamic principles and were therefore forbidden.
In early 2023, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kan'ani stressed that the Islamic Republic would carry on with its peaceful nuclear energy program and "constructive" cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), notwithstanding existing political pressures and propagandist smear campaigns.
MNA/PR
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