The assessment from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released Monday says Iran has moved to increase its capacity to produce an atomic bomb since 2020 but has stopped short of that so far.
The findings corresponded with previous US assessments about Iran’s nuclear program, although many in Congress and elsewhere have been skeptical of those.
The Biden administration has been defending its desire to return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, knownas the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, since it first took office.
That effort has been complicated in recent months by the suspension of its chief negotiator, Rob Malley, who was placed on unpaid leave last month pending an investigation into claims he mishandled classified information.
“Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities that would be necessary to produce a testable nuclear device,” according to the two-page unclassified synopsis of the report.
However, Iran is also pursuing “research and development activities that would bring it closer to producing the fissile material needed for completing a nuclear device following a decision to do so,” the report said.