Iran Could Name Itself a Nuclear Weapons State by Late 2024, Claims House Intelligence Chair

Rep. Mike Turner, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has issued a stark warning, claiming Iran could declare itself a nuclear weapons state by the end of the year, CBS News reports.

He directly blamed the Biden administration’s policies for this potential escalation, a scenario the US has actively sought to avoid for years.

“With this administration, [Iran] might declare themselves a nuclear weapons state by the end of this year,” Turner said.

While acknowledging that Iran’s Supreme Leader has not yet made a final decision, Turner stressed the potential for Iran to take this step, attributing it to the “flexibility and freedom” they’ve experienced under the Biden administration. He argued that this “flexibility” has allowed Iran to pursue its nuclear program, meddle in US elections, and even attempt to target former President Donald Trump.

Turner’s comments came as he defended Trump’s recent remarks about Iran. The former president stated that he’s “not looking to be bad to Iran” and that the US could be “friendly” to the country, but only if they renounced nuclear weapons. Turner maintained that Trump is “anti-Iran,” but stressed that recognizing the strengths of one’s adversaries does not equate to weakness. He credited Trump’s “maximum pressure campaign” with putting “the most pressure on Iran that they have had in any administration.”

The Biden administration, according to Turner, is failing to hold Iran accountable for its actions. He criticized their response to Iranian hacking, misinformation campaigns, and the alleged plot against Trump, claiming it lacks deterrence and emboldens Iran.

The Biden administration has sought to revive parts of the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, but negotiations have failed to reach a conclusion. Trump, who withdrew the US from the deal in 2018, has repeatedly asserted that it allowed Iran to amass nuclear weapons.