US Intelligence Assesses Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei Seeks Nuclear Warhead Development

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader's son, is aiming to develop a nuclear warhead, according to a report by The New York Times published overnight between Friday and Saturday. Although Mojtaba Khamenei has not publicly called for Iran to develop nuclear weapons, US intelligence believes he and his government are actively pursuing this goal.

Mojtaba and his associates, who have risen to prominence after their predecessors were eliminated by Israel and the United States, are considered more hawkish than his father, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who served under him. This shift is seen as a factor complicating US efforts to negotiate with Iran, including issues related to the prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The intelligence on Mojtaba Khamenei was mostly gathered before the ongoing war, during which he is believed to have been seriously injured. Despite his absence from public view since assuming his position, analysts assess that Mojtaba is the key decision-maker shaping the direction of the Revolutionary Guards and Iran's nuclear ambitions.