Nuclear Iran
Nuclear IraniStock

New US intelligence regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions has raised concerns among US officials, revealing that a covert team of Iranian scientists is exploring a faster but cruder method for developing nuclear weapons, should Tehran’s leadership decide to pursue that path, The New York Times reported on Monday.

This new information, according to current and former American officials, was gathered in the final months of the Biden administration and subsequently passed on to President Donald Trump’s national security team during the transition of power.

The intelligence suggests that Iran's nuclear engineers and scientists are investigating ways to accelerate the timeline for producing a weapon, aiming to transform their increasing stockpile of nuclear fuel into a functional bomb within months rather than over the span of a year or more—though only if Tehran opts to change its current strategy.

While US officials continue to believe that Iran and its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have not yet made the decision to develop a weapon, recent intelligence points to new military strategies within Iran, according to The New York Times. As the country’s proxy forces weaken and its missile defense systems struggle to counter American and Israeli capabilities, Iranian officials are reportedly considering new tactics to deter potential US or Israeli strikes.

In 2018, during his first term in office, US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, reinstating strict US sanctions as part of his "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran.

In response, Iran has taken many steps to scale back its compliance with the deal.

In its latest step to advance its nuclear program, Iran recently informed the IAEA of its intention to "significantly increase" its production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent.

The Biden administration sought to return to the 2015 deal and held indirect talks with Iran on a return to compliance, but those talks failed due to Iran's insistence on the closure of the UN nuclear watchdog's investigations of its nuclear sites.

Trump has pledged to reinstate his previous policy of using economic pressure as leverage to compel Iran to negotiate a new agreement addressing its nuclear program, ballistic missile development, and regional influence.

Trump recently stressed that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News, the President stated, “The only thing I've said about Iran—and I want them to have a great country. They have great potential. The people are amazing. The only thing I've said about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon.

Asked by Hannity if he trusts Iran to abide by a deal, the President replied, “There are ways that you can make it absolutely certain, if you make a deal, a certain type of a deal. And you have to verify times 10. Yeah. But they cannot have a nuclear weapon.”