American officials and senior lawmakers have pushed back on Donald Trump's claims that Iran is weeks away from a nuclear weapon, suggesting they are not supported by available US intelligence
Claims that Iran is on the brink of building a nuclear weapon have been contradicted by US intelligence officials.
America's spooks have not changed their assessment of Tehrans nuclear ambitions since March - contrary to Donald Trumps now words. The US President said on Wednesday that Iran was a few weeks from acquiring a nuclear bomb. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Tehran was pursuing a secret plan to develop a nuclear device within months.
But American officials and senior lawmakers have pushed back on the claims, suggesting they are not supported by the available intelligence. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he was baffled by Trumps remarks. He noted that intelligence agencies had told lawmakers just this week that their assessment had not shifted.
The intel we got and we shared with the United States was absolutely clear, was absolutely clear that they were working on a secret plan to weaponise the uranium, Netanyahu told Fox News . They were marching very quickly. They would achieve a test device and possibly an initial device within months and certainly less than a year.
However, Warner told reporters: So far, at least, the intelligence community has stood by its conclusion that Iran is not moving towards a nuclear weapon. They were enriching additional uranium, but they were not weaponising that yet, and that [decision] was left with the supreme leader.
The US Director of National Intelligence, Trump loyalist Tulsi Gabbard, had previously testified in March that Iran possessed large stockpiles of enriched uranium but had not made a decision to develop a nuclear weapon.
The position remains unchanged, according to Warner and a source with direct knowledge of the matter. I received further confirmation of the March intelligence assessment this week, he said. If there has been a change in that intelligence, I need to know, and I want to make sure that if it is changed, its based upon fact and not political influence.
But when asked about Gabbards testimony on Tuesday, Trump bluntly dismissed it. I dont care what she said, he said. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran currently possesses approximately 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity - well above civilian energy needs but still short of the 90 per cent threshold required for a nuclear weapon.
Experts caution that while reaching weapons-grade material would only require a technical leap, further steps would still be needed to design, build, and test a functional warhead. The process, analysts say, could take several months to more than a year. Weapons inspectors and nuclear analysts have also stressed the distinction between producing fissile material and actually constructing a bomb.
Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state in the world that is producing and accumulating uranium enriched to 60 per cent, said Rafael Grossi, director general of the IAEA, in a recent report.
However, in an interview, Grossi added: We do not have information or proof that there is a systematic effort by Iran to move into a nuclear weapon. American assessments are often informed by Israeli intelligence, raising questions about whether Netanyahus interpretation differs from the same data.
Meanwhile, Israel s ongoing air campaign against Iran has reportedly disrupted key parts of its nuclear infrastructure. According to two sources with knowledge of the strikes, Israels attacks have likely set back Irans program by several months.
Since launching operations last week, Israeli forces have bombed multiple facilities used to enrich uranium, including the Natanz complex south of Tehran. The IAEA confirmed that two centrifuge production facilities had been hit, along with laboratories where uranium gas is converted to metal.
Israel has also reportedly targeted missile storage depots and killed several nuclear scientists. The intent, Israeli officials say, is to degrade Irans capacity to build and deliver a nuclear device. Despite these military actions, Iran continues to insist that its nuclear program is peaceful and intended for civilian use.
While its enrichment levels have alarmed Western powers, Tehran denies it has made any decision to develop a bomb. Irans ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, reiterated that stance this week. Iran will continue to produce the enriched uranium as far as we need for peaceful purposes, he said. Our scientists will continue their work.
As the rhetoric escalates and airstrikes continue, international observers warn of the growing risk of miscalculation, especially as public statements from leaders in Washington and Jerusalem diverge sharply from the assessments of their own intelligence communities.
美国官员和资深议员驳斥了唐纳德·特朗普关于伊朗距拥有核武器仅数周之遥的说法，指出这一论断缺乏现有美国情报依据。
美国情报官员驳斥了有关伊朗即将制造核武器的说法。
与唐纳德·特朗普的最新言论相反，美国情报机构自3月以来对德黑兰核野心的评估并未改变。这位美国总统周三声称，伊朗距离获得核弹仅有"数周之遥"。与此同时，以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡指控德黑兰正在推进一项"秘密计划"，意图在数月内研制出核装置。
但美国官员和资深议员驳斥了这些说法，指出现有情报并不支持此类主张。参议院情报委员会首席民主党议员马克·华纳表示，他对特朗普的言论感到困惑。他强调，情报机构本周刚向议员们通报称，其评估结论并未改变。
以色列总理内塔尼亚胡向福克斯新闻表示："我们获得并与美国共享的情报非常明确——他们正在秘密推进铀武器化计划。其进展速度极快，数月内就能完成测试装置甚至初步装置，整个过程肯定不超过一年。"
然而，沃纳向记者表示："至少到目前为止，情报界仍坚持其结论，认为伊朗并未朝着发展核武器的方向前进。他们确实在浓缩更多铀，但尚未将其武器化，这一[决定]权仍掌握在最高领袖手中。"
美国国家情报总监、特朗普的忠实支持者图尔西·加巴德曾在3月作证称，伊朗拥有大量浓缩铀库存，但尚未决定研制核武器。
据沃纳（Warner）和一位直接了解该事件的消息人士称，立场仍未改变。他表示："本周我再次确认了3月份的情报评估结果。如果该情报有任何变动，我需要知情，并确保这种变动是基于事实而非政治影响。"
但当周二被问及加巴德（Gabbard）的证词时，特朗普直截了当地予以驳斥。"我不在乎她说了什么，"他表示。据国际原子能机构（IAEA）数据，伊朗目前拥有约400公斤纯度达60%的浓缩铀——远超出民用能源需求，但仍未达到制造核武器所需的90%门槛。
专家警告称，尽管获得武器级材料只需实现技术突破，但设计、制造并测试可用的弹头仍需后续步骤。分析人士指出，这一过程可能耗时数月甚至超过一年。武器核查员与核问题分析师也强调，生产裂变材料与实际制造核弹存在本质区别。
国际原子能机构总干事拉斐尔·格罗西在近期一份报告中表示：“伊朗是全球唯一一个正在生产并积累丰度达60%浓缩铀的无核武器国家。”
然而，格罗西（Grossi）在采访中补充道：'我们并未掌握信息或证据表明伊朗正在系统性地谋求发展核武器。'美国的评估通常基于以色列情报，这引发了对内塔尼亚胡（Netanyahu）是否对相同数据有不同解读的质疑。
与此同时，据报道，以色列对伊朗持续发起的空袭已破坏其核基础设施的关键部分。据两位了解袭击情况的消息人士透露，以色列的袭击可能使伊朗的核计划推迟数月。
自上周开展军事行动以来，以色列部队已轰炸了多处铀浓缩设施，其中包括位于德黑兰以南的纳坦兹核设施。国际原子能机构（IAEA）证实，两处离心机生产设施及将铀气体转化为金属的实验室均遭袭。
据报道，以色列还袭击了导弹储存仓库，并导致数名核科学家丧生。以色列官员称，此举旨在削弱伊朗制造和投送核装置的能力。尽管面临这些军事行动，伊朗仍坚称其核计划是和平的，仅用于民用目的。
尽管伊朗的铀浓缩水平令西方国家感到不安，但德黑兰方面否认已做出研制核武器的任何决定。伊朗驻日内瓦联合国大使阿里·巴雷尼本周重申了这一立场。他表示：“伊朗将继续生产满足和平用途所需的浓缩铀，我们的科学家也将持续推进相关工作。”
随着言辞交锋升级与空袭持续，国际观察人士警告误判风险正不断加剧——尤其当华盛顿和耶路撒冷领导人的公开声明与其情报机构的评估结论存在显著分歧时。