US intelligence suggests Iran exploring faster path to nuclear weapon: Report

New intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program has led US officials to believe that a secret team of Iranian scientists is exploring a faster but cruder approach to developing an atomic weapon, should Tehran decide to pursue one, the New York Times reported Monday, citing current and former US officials.

The intelligence, gathered in the final months of the Biden administration, was relayed to President Donald Trump’s national security team during the transition, the report said. It warned that Iranian weapons engineers were seeking a shortcut that could allow them to turn their growing nuclear fuel stockpile into a workable bomb within months, rather than a year or more – but only if Tehran decides to shift its current approach.

While the US still believes Iran has not yet made the decision to develop a nuclear weapon, officials see indications that Tehran is exploring ways to deter a potential US or Israeli attack, particularly after a series of setbacks since the Gaza war began.

The intelligence is expected to be a key topic in talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump in Washington on Tuesday. Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to visit the White House in Trump’s second term.

If Iran chooses to pursue a nuclear bomb, it could reportedly enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels (90 percent purity) in just days. However, enriching uranium alone is not enough. US officials estimate it would still take 12 to 18 months to develop a sophisticated warhead capable of being mounted on a ballistic missile.

Iran, aware that this long development timeline leaves it vulnerable, may be considering a different strategy. US officials believe Iran already possesses the know-how to build a simpler, older-style nuclear device – one that could be assembled far faster than the more advanced designs Tehran has previously explored, according to the Times.

Such a crude weapon would not be small enough to fit on a missile, and it would likely be less reliable than modern warheads, the newspaper said. But such a crude weapon is the kind of device Iran could build quickly, test and declare to the world that it had become a nuclear power, the paper cited US officials as saying.

While such a device would be difficult to use against Israel, its mere existence could serve as a deterrent, making potential attackers think twice, the report concluded.