Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is far more interested in obtaining nuclear weapons than his father was, The New York Times reported Friday evening, citing people familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments. Mojtaba has never publicly called for the construction of nuclear weapons, but U.S. intelligence believes that, unlike his father, he and members of Iran’s hard-line regime that emerged in recent months have ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons.
Khamenei’s father issued a fatwa — a religious ruling — against nuclear weapons in the 1990s. In Israel, officials argued before the launch of Operation “Rising Lion” that Iran had advanced toward nuclear weapons, leading Israel to go to war. The officials who spoke with The Times qualified their assessment, saying that much of the intelligence on Mojtaba’s views comes from the period before the war. He was wounded in an Israeli strike on his father’s compound on February 28 and has not appeared publicly or spoken since.
Gallery
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is far more interested in obtaining nuclear weapons than his father was
(Photo: Hamed Jafarnejad/ISNA/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS, REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst, shutterstock)
The intelligence assessment is based on public statements and conversations from the period before the war. According to U.S. intelligence, Mojtaba does not share his father’s hesitation and seeks to obtain nuclear weapons. Toward the end of the Biden administration, reports emerged that Iran was seeking to acquire an “asset” in the form of a bomb — one that would be difficult to launch on a missile but could still provide a degree of deterrence. But Khamenei’s son, according to the assessment, sees less value in such a weapon and instead seeks a warhead that could eventually be miniaturized and mounted on a missile capable of long-range strikes.
The memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, signed by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, stated that “the Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it will not acquire or develop nuclear weapons.” Since then, however, both sides have violated the agreement and accused each other of doing so. In a statement released after the agreement, Khamenei said he had approved it but did not agree with it “as a matter of principle.”
The U.S. assessment comes at a tense moment: President Trump convened senior administration officials Friday evening to discuss escalating the military campaign against Iran. The New York Times wrote that a conclusion that the supreme leader is open to obtaining a nuclear bomb could provide additional justification for escalation. According to The Wall Street Journal, Iran has concentrated centrifuges at the fortified underground complex known as Pickaxe Mountain. Israel has tracked the movement of the centrifuges, according to the report. Some U.S. officials assessed that the move was an Iranian attempt to preserve parts of its nuclear equipment beyond the reach of American strikes.
Iran has concentrated centrifuges at the fortified underground complex known as Pickaxe Mountain
(Photo: Vantor/Handout via REUTERS )
According to the report, after the bombings in Fordow, Iran examined how deeply American bombs could penetrate and therefore chose to move centrifuges to Pickaxe Mountain, which is located at significant depth. U.S. intelligence agencies warned that Iran had transferred ground forces to the site out of concern over a possible commando operation there.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday evening, citing a senior US administration official, that Trump is questioning diplomacy and is in a “revenge mode.” According to a person familiar with the matter, during a recent meeting at the White House, Trump criticized senior Iranian officials, calling them “scum” and “crazy.”
According to administration officials and others close to the president, Trump is frustrated that the confrontation — which he believed would end within weeks — has continued without a clear conclusion. Some of Trump’s advisers are now concerned that the war, which has led to higher prices, declining approval ratings and the deaths of American military personnel, is harming the already uncertain prospects of Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections.
Although Trump has sought to slow the war for months, in recent days he has questioned whether negotiations with Iran can lead to peace, sources familiar with the matter told the Journal. A senior administration official said Trump believes the only thing Iran understands is military force and therefore sees few good options other than continuing the strikes.
In practice, the longer the war continues, the less Trump believes in the possibility of a diplomatic solution. According to people familiar with the matter, Trump has complained to advisers that it is difficult to know who speaks on behalf of Iran’s top leadership and that every time the US believes it has made progress at the negotiating table, Iran continues its attacks.
First published: 23:16, 07.24.26