US Assessment: Iran Could Go Nuclear in 2 Weeks but Isn’t Actively Pursuing Nuclear Weapons

The US has said Iran is not actively pursuing a nuclear weapons program, according to a report released on Friday. The report, 2023 Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, labeled Iran as a “persistent threat,” cautioning that the country could produce enough fissile material for a nuclear device within two weeks. The report also condemned Iran’s noncompliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, warning that Tehran is developing “dual-use central nervous system-acting chemicals for offensive purposes.”

The findings add a layer of complexity to regional tensions, as they contradict claims made by Moshe Edri, the director-general of Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission last week. Edri had argued that Iran was still operating a military nuclear program and testing long-range nuclear missiles in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions. “Iran is still the spearhead of regional instability and is a threat to peace and security worldwide,” the Israeli official said at the 67th International Atomic Energy Agency’s General Conference in Vienna. Edri called for the “full attention of the international community” to halt Iran’s nuclear activities.