🔶 New York Times: Mojtaba Khamenei is pursuing an atomic bomb more than his father

According to a report published by the New York Times on Friday, July 24 (August 2), an assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies indicates that Mojtaba Khamenei, the new leader of the Islamic Republic, is “far more than” his father seeking to develop a nuclear weapon.

The report, citing officials who were briefed on the intelligence assessment, says that, based on intercepted conversations and information that had been collected before the current war, Mojtaba Khamenei has less doubt about building a nuclear weapon than his predecessor, Ali Khamenei.

The New York Times emphasizes that this assessment is not based on newly obtained information after the start of the war or after Mojtaba Khamenei came to power, but rather on information that had been collected earlier.

Although Western intelligence agencies reject Iran’s claim that it has never pursued nuclear weapons, and Israel has also said that in recent years Tehran has taken steps toward militarizing its nuclear program, overall it has been believed that Ali Khamenei, at least, has had a position that is ambiguous and hesitant on pursuing the matter.

However, according to the U.S. intelligence assessment reported by the New York Times, the standing of those in the government who want to obtain a nuclear bomb has now been strengthened, because, according to their argument, such a weapon is necessary to preserve the Islamic Republic against future attacks.

Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. and Israeli officials, reported that, according to an Israeli intelligence estimate, Iran has transferred thousands of nuclear centrifuges to a location in the Natanz area known as “Kuh-e Kalan” (“Pickaxe Mountain”), placing them deep underground and thereby making them more difficult to target in airstrikes.

Based on this report, it is not clear where the centrifuges Israel has warned about were moved from, but it is possible that they were brought to this site from other Iranian nuclear facilities.