Iran's controversial nuclear ambitions spark global concern
According to reports by "The New York Times," Iran has established a group of scientists to investigate the possibilities of swiftly constructing an atomic bomb, which could shorten the time required from years to months.
In the assessment of American intelligence, it is reported that Iran has formed a group of scientists exploring the rapid construction of an atomic bomb. The New York Times, on Monday, noted that while the programme has not yet been implemented, it could potentially reduce the bomb's construction time significantly, from years to months.
The Iranian authorities assert that they are not pursuing a nuclear programme for military purposes. However, in recent years, the country has significantly increased the production of enriched uranium. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran possesses about 200 kilograms of uranium enriched to a 60 percent level, which is enough to build four or five atomic bombs. Further enrichment to 90 percent, needed for military applications, could take a few days.
"But enriching the uranium to bomb grade is not enough for Iran to produce a nuclear weapon. Some Israeli estimates were even longer, upward of two years. The intelligence assessment warned that Iranian weapons engineers and scientists were essentially looking for a shortcut that would enable them to turn their growing stockpile of nuclear fuel into a workable weapon in a matter of months, rather than a year or more — but only if Tehran made a decision to change its current approach," wrote the New York newspaper.
An Iranian opposition group in exile reported on Friday that Iran is advancing a nuclear warhead project, which would be mounted on a missile with a range of up to 3,000 kilometres.
Is Iran weaker than ever?
According to the newspaper's sources, U.S. intelligence obtained this information during the last months of Joe Biden's presidency, with findings also shared with Donald Trump's new administration. "Iran has never been weaker than it is today, in the view of American and Israeli officials. Hamas and Hezbollah, which it has funded and armed, have lost their leadership and their ability to strike Israel. Syria’s leader, Bashar al-Assad, has fled to Moscow and his country is no longer an easy route for Iranian weapon," assessed the "NYT."
The journal added that, according to American and Israeli officials, “Iran has 'never been weaker' than now. In 2023-24, two groups supported by Iran, the Palestinian Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah, were at war with Israel. Currently, tenuous truces exist on those fronts, but both organisations have been significantly weakened and lost their regional standing. Consequently, Tehran has lost the ability to intimidate Israel through actions by these groups.
In 2024, Iran also suffered significant losses in two direct Israeli retaliatory attacks. According to Israeli assessments, a large portion of Iran's air defence was destroyed, and missile fuel factories were among the installations damaged. The final blow was the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria in December 2024, one of Iran's closest allies in the region.
The issue of Iran will undoubtedly be among the topics of discussion during Tuesday's meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noted 'NYT'. For years, Netanyahu has been close to ordering a preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, but he has always ultimately refrained, often due to U.S. pressure. "Mr. Trump has indicated that he is in no hurry to get into a direct conflict with Iran, and seems open to a negotiation. When asked just after the inauguration whether he would support an Israeli strike on the facilities, he said: 'Hopefully that can be worked out without having to worry about it. It would really be nice if that could be worked out without having to go that further step,'" the New York newspaper commented.
