Overview

• On May 27, Austria’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution released an intelligence report declaring Iran’s nuclear weapons program is active to deter attacks and expand its regional influence.
• The report warns that Iran has advanced its nuclear weapons development and expanded its ballistic missile force to potentially deliver warheads over long distances.
• Investigators highlighted Tehran’s creation of intricate sanctions-evasion networks that have provided material support to Russia and funded proxy operations.
• In March, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard informed the Senate that the American intelligence community assesses Iran is not currently building a nuclear weapon and that its program was halted in 2003.
• White House officials caution that the stark intelligence discrepancy may undercut President Trump’s negotiations with Iranian leaders and his pledge to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear armaments.