The New York Times reports that US intelligence agencies assess Mojtaba Khamenei is more open to developing nuclear weapons than his father and seeks advanced capability, though the intelligence was collected before he assumed the role of Supreme Leader. The report details Iran's steps to preserve nuclear assets after US strikes, including moving equipment to the Mount Makosh complex, and says the US believes Iran's current goal is to keep equipment out of bombing range.
The New York Times has published a detailed report on US intelligence assessments of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's nuclear ambitions, expanding on initial reports The Zioneer flagged at 21:31 Jerusalem. According to the report, US intelligence agencies assess that Khamenei is significantly more open to pursuing nuclear weapons than his father, and is seeking an advanced nuclear capability. However, the report notes that the intelligence on Khamenei was collected before the war and before he assumed the role of Supreme Leader, raising questions about its current accuracy.
The report also details Iran's efforts to preserve its nuclear assets following US strikes last year, including moving equipment to the underground Mount Makosh complex during ceasefires. US officials assess that for now, Iran's primary goal is to keep equipment out of range of US bombing rather than immediately restarting enrichment.
The assessment comes amid ongoing uncertainty about Khamenei's status and control over Iran's decision-making. As The Zioneer has previously reported, Khamenei has taken a hardline stance on nuclear negotiations, and internal power struggles have been reported within Iran's leadership. The new NYT report adds further weight to assessments that the new leadership is more nuclear-ambitious, but with the caveat that the intelligence underpinning that assessment is not current.
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