The New York Times reports that US intelligence agencies assess Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is more interested in advancing nuclear weapons acquisition than his father, the late Ali Khamenei, according to N12 journalist Asaf Rozentzweig.
The New York Times reports that US intelligence agencies assess Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is more determined to pursue nuclear weapons than his father, the late Ali Khamenei, according to N12 journalist Asaf Rozentzweig. The report, published at 23:32 Jerusalem, is the latest in a series of assessments from Friday evening regarding Khamenei's nuclear ambitions.
Earlier tonight, at 21:30 Jerusalem, The Zioneer published three reports: a NYT report that US intelligence sees Khamenei more open to nuclear weapons development than his father; a second NYT report detailing Iran's efforts to move nuclear assets to the Mount Makosh complex; and an N12 report quoting US officials that Khamenei supports developing an advanced thermonuclear warhead that could be miniaturized for a long-range missile. The new report appears to reinforce and sharpen these assessments.
The reports come amid ongoing uncertainty about Khamenei's status and whereabouts. As The Zioneer has reported, unverified accounts claimed he appeared at his father's funeral events, while other reports indicated internal power struggles in Iran's leadership and analysis suggesting his official documents share a digital fingerprint with Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf's office.
The intelligence is based on unnamed US officials, and the earlier NYT report noted that the data was collected before Khamenei assumed the role of Supreme Leader. The current report has not been independently corroborated by The Zioneer.
3 developments
- StrongUnverified reports: Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appeared at father's funeral events
- DevelopingReport: Debate in Iran's top leadership escalates, each camp seeks to pull Mojtaba Khamenei to its side
- DevelopingKhamenei Jr. tells Fars News: nuclear talks contradict our ideology, won't prevent attack on Iran's infrastructure
- StrongIranian economic activist claims Mojtaba Khamenei will attend father's funeral
Source and signal
- Open-source intake