No evidence Iran has decided to weaponize nuclear program, CIA chief says

William Burns laments that Tehran has not been taking negotiations seriously after seventh round of talks produced no breakthroughs

The head of the Central Intelligence Agency said Monday that the United States does not have evidence that Iran has made a decision to weaponize its nuclear program.

The US spy agency “doesn’t see any evidence that Iran’s Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei] has made a decision to move to weaponize,” CIA Director William Burns told the Wall Street Journal’s annual CEO Council, according to CBS News.

Iran has been accelerating its nuclear enrichment in recent months in what some analysts believe is a negotiation tactic in the ongoing Vienna talks aimed at reviving the multilateral nuclear accord known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

Reports: Israeli Officials to Urge US to Attack Iran

Israel’s defense minister and the head of Mossad will meet with US officials in Washington this week

Israeli officials will urge the Biden administration to take military action against Iran during talks in Washington this week, three Israeli TV broadcasters reported on Sunday night.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and David Barnea, the head of the Mossad spy agency, are headed to Washington this week. The TV reports said the two officials will push for the US to develop a “plan B” on Iran that involves harsher sanctions and military action.

Last week, the US and Iran resumed indirect negotiations to revive the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA. The talks concluded Friday and are expected to continue sometime this week. But the US has been claiming Iran is not serious about the process, and the Israelis see an opportunity to convince the US to take a harder line.