Iran has moved forward with uranium enrichment efforts

Iran has moved forward with its uranium enrichment efforts, according to U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper.
“Tehran has developed technical expertise in a number of areas, including uranium enrichment, nuclear reactors, …,” Clapper said in an annual report to Congress published on March 12.

In the report, he stated that Iran could not produce enough highly-enriched uranium for an atomic bomb without being detected, according to AFP.

While Iran has made strides in its nuclear program, “we assess Iran could not divert safeguarded material and produce a weapon-worth of WGU (weapons-grade uranium) before this activity is discovered,” Clapper said.

The assessment reiterated an analysis last year from intelligence agencies that Iran had not yet opted to build nuclear weapons and that the government’s policy was based on a “cost-benefit” approach.

“We do not know if Iran will eventually decide to build nuclear weapons,” he said.

The U.S. intelligence community also believed Iranian leaders are not seeking a direct confrontation with the United States, the report said.