Tulsi Gabbard left no doubt when she testified to Congress about Iran’s nuclear program earlier this year.
The country was not building a nuclear weapon, the national intelligence director told lawmakers, and its supreme leader had not reauthorized the dormant program even though it had enriched uranium to higher levels.
But Donald Trump dismissed the assessment of U.S. spy agencies during an overnight flight back to Washington as he cut short his trip to the Group of Seven summit to focus on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
“I don’t care what she said,” Trump told reporters. In his view, Iran was “very close” to having a nuclear bomb.
This alternative is to believe the assessment that nuclear regulators made that they were stockpiling 60% enriched uranium and installing new centrifuges that could further enrich to weapons grade even faster. AFAIK there is no other plausible explanation for doing this, nuclear reactors only need 5% enrichment or so:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/could-iran-have-been-close-to-making-a-nuclear-weapon-uranium-enrichment/
https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/25/06/gov2025-24.pdf
It’s also not a great look Iran immediately talks about testing a nuke a day after the attack. Despite that obviously being a lie, it at least makes it clear they don’t seem to be trying very hard to hide it.
I’m sure Netanyahu has all kinds of nefarious reasons for doing this and with this timing, but this pretense at least seems pretty solid unlike Gaza and I’m sure there is genuine concern throughout their citizenry over how Iran would use them against them.
To be frank, if I was them, I would do everything to get a nuke before the crazies in Israel and the USA decide to wipe out Iran. So Iran trying to get it makes perfect sense.
I’m sure they see it that way as well. And so here we are.