U.S. Says Iran's New Leader Is More Open to Nuclear Arms After 36-Year Predecessor
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 24
U.S. Says Iran's New Leader Is More Open to Nuclear Arms After 36-Year Predecessor
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 24
Summary
U.S. intelligence agencies assess Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is far more willing than his father to pursue advanced nuclear weaponry, according to officials briefed on the findings.
That shift matters because Ali Khamenei — killed early in the U.S.- and Israeli-backed war — had long been seen by many U.S. officials as genuinely reluctant to build a bomb.
Mojtaba Khamenei has not publicly called for a weapon, but officials say the harder-line government that emerged after many Iranian leaders were killed now shows stronger nuclear ambitions.
Much of the intelligence predates the war, and officials say the new leader, badly injured early in the conflict, has sharply limited communications and appearances to avoid another airstrike.
U.S. officials still believe he remains in charge, though with less absolute authority than his father, raising the risk that the war made Tehran more likely — not less — to seek a bomb.
As the IRGC gains unprecedented power in the shadows, who is truly controlling Iran's hidden nuclear stockpiles and strategy?
With Iran's leadership wounded and secretive, could the recent war meant to stop a nuclear bomb actually be the catalyst that creates one?
If military strikes pushed Iran's nuclear ambitions underground, what unseen threats are quietly brewing beneath the heavily restricted Strait of Hormuz?