US intel said to find Mojtaba Khamenei ‘far more’ inclined than father to seek nuclear weapons

US intelligence assesses that Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “far more” inclined to seek the development of nuclear weapons than his father was, according to The New York Times.

The report, citing officials who have been briefed on the issue, said that based on intercepted conversations and information gathered prior to the current war, Khamenei is thought to be less hesitant than predecessor Ali Khamanei about building nukes. The elder Khamenei was killed by Israeli strikes at the opening of the war on February 28.

The Times notes that this assessment is not based on new information gathered since the start of the war, or since Mojtaba’s ascension as leader, but on previously collected information.

Though Western intelligence agencies reject Iran’s assertion that it never sought to develop nuclear weapons, and Israel has argued Tehran took steps toward weaponization in recent years, Ali Khamenei is broadly believed to have been at least ambivalent over pursuing the matter.

But the American intelligence report assesses that those within the regime seeking nuclear bombs have now seen their position strengthened, as they argue such weapons are necessary to protect the Islamic Republic from future attacks.