Iranian nuclear threat accelerates with new weapons, shorter atomic-bomb timeline

By Global Watch | 2025-02-04

Fears over Iran's nuclear ambitions are intensifying amid recent weapons developments and a report that suggests Tehran may be closer to producing an atomic weapon than previously believed.

A report by The New York Times, citing fresh US intelligence, reveals that a secret team of Iranian scientists is working on a faster, less sophisticated method to build a nuclear bomb if the country's leadership gives the order.

This alarming development comes alongside Iran's recent displays of military strength, including large-scale exercises, the unveiling of new ballistic missiles, and the showcasing of underground military base -- further fueling concerns about its growing weapons capabilities.

The recent intelligence was collected in the last months of the administration of former US President Joe Biden, then relayed to US President Trump's national security team during the transition of power, The New York Times report said, citing unidentified officials familiar with the matter.

According to report, the intelligence assessment warned that Iranian weapons engineers and scientists are seeking a shortcut to rapidly convert their expanding stockpile of nuclear fuel into a functional weapon within months, rather than the year or more it would typically take -- though this would require Tehran to shift from its current strategy, it said.

The officials added that they believe that Iran and its leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had not made that decision to develop a weapon.

'Pressing the gas petal'

Still, Tehran hasn't made efforts to dampen concerns over its weapons ambitions as it continues saber-rattling.

Iran unveiled a new ballistic missile on February 2 that has a reported range of 1,700 km, AFP reported. State television broadcast images of the missile, dubbed Etemad, or "trust" in Persian, noting its range and calling it "the most recent ballistic missile" built by the Iranian Defense Ministry.

It also revealed a new model of cruise missile on February 1 called the Ghadr-380, which a naval commander said had "anti-jamming capabilities" and a range of more than 1,000km (620 miles), according to AFP.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel -- the region's sole, if undeclared, nuclear-armed state -- would do "everything" to stop Tehran acquiring a nuclear weapon, AFP reported in November.

US President Donald Trump said on January 23, a few days after his inauguration, that he hoped to avoid military strikes on Iran's nuclear program.

While Tehran has signaled its willingness to restart negotiations over its nuclear program, it has also greatly increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60%, according to the IAEA, close to the 90% needed to make an atomic weapon.

Iran is "pressing the gas pedal" toward weapons-grade uranium, Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January.

Tehran's nuclear program has grown "dramatically" in terms of capabilities, facilities and inventory of nuclear material since 2021, Grossi said.

In November, Mohammad-Javad Larijani, a former adviser to Khamenei, said the Iranian nuclear program is "unstoppable" as its stockpile of enriched uranium reaches all-time high levels.