US intelligence official: If the Fordo nuclear facility is attacked or Khamenei is assassinated, Iran may turn to nuclear weapons development

According to The New York Times, although Iran has stockpiled a large amount of enriched uranium that can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons, US intelligence officials have stated that intelligence agencies still believe Iran has not made a final decision on whether to manufacture nuclear weapons. This assessment has not changed since the intelligence agencies last assessed Iran's intentions in March this year, even though Israel has launched attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities. Senior US intelligence officials say that if the US military attacks Iran's Fordo uranium enrichment facility or if Israel kills Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei, Iranian leaders may turn to nuclear weapons development. However, in the eyes of many Iran hawks in the United States and Israel, it is not important whether Iran has decided to build a nuclear bomb, as they believe that Tehran's nuclear capabilities are sufficient to pose an existential threat to Israel. This issue has long been a focus of policy debate in Iran, and the debate has heated up again as Trump considers whether to bomb the Fordo nuclear facility.