US intelligence agencies believe Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is even more interested in acquiring a nuclear weapon than his father and predecessor was, according to a Friday New York Times report citing officials briefed on the information.
The intelligence agencies believe that the killing of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the opening days of the US and Israel’s military operations against Iran in February intensified Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Officials noted that much of the information regarding Khamenei’s views came from before the start of the war, as the new supreme leader has been in hiding since he was injured in the strike that killed his father.
The officials, according to the NYT report, also stated that his communication with other Iranian officials has been limited as he avoids public appearances for fear of being targeted in further airstrikes.
While intelligence agencies assessed that Iran has not made moves to restart nuclear enrichment and weapons development, steps have been taken to preserve nuclear assets damaged by US and Israeli strikes.
If Iran had moved to repair the damage and restart enrichment immediately after the strikes, their nuclear progress may only have been set back by six months, according to the assessments.
Part of the effort to preserve remaining nuclear assets included moving centrifuges to the heavily fortified underground complex of Pickaxe Mountain, US officials said, potentially allowing Iran to maintain access to equipment needed to enrich uranium and build a nuclear weapon.
New supreme leader drops predecessor's facade of hesitation
While the former supreme leader publicly denied that he was pursuing a nuclear weapon, Iranian efforts to build its nuclear capabilities did continue.
US Intelligence officials, citing public statements and conversations intercepted before the war, asserted that Khamenei did not put forth the same facade of hesitancy and was interested in furthering enrichment and weapons programs.
According to the NYT, US officials at the end of the Biden administration believed Iran was looking into developing a crude form of nuclear weapons.
The new supreme leader, officials stated, is looking instead to support the development of a thermonuclear warhead that could be placed on a long-range missile.
US officials noted that Iranian officials who previously argued that a nuclear weapon would be the only deterrent to US or Israeli strikes may now have strengthened their positions under the new supreme leader.