US officials: Iran's Khamenei has not resumed nuclear weapons program

Shafaq News/ Washington's estimates indicate that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has not decided to resume the nuclear weapons program, a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) stated on Friday.

"We assess that the Supreme Leader has not made a decision to resume the nuclear weapons program that Iran suspended in 2003," said the ODNI spokesperson, according to Reuters.

The agency also reported that US officials believe Iran has not decided to manufacture nuclear weapons “despite recent strategic setbacks.”

In turn, a senior official in President Joe Biden's administration said, "We're all watching this space very carefully."

Some believe that the Israeli strikes on Lebanon and the assassination of Hezbollah's Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah have weakened the Lebanese party, the most powerful member in the Iran-backed Axis of Resistance, prompting some analysts to speculate that Tehran may restart its efforts to acquire a nuclear bomb for self-protection.

Since the collapse of the 2015 deal, Iran has increased its uranium enrichment to 60% purity, close to the 90% needed for weapons production, and has disabled monitoring equipment installed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Additionally, Iran has restricted access for some of the IAEA’s most experienced inspectors and has threatened to pursue nuclear weapons capabilities.