Rep. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Turner, stated on Sunday that Iran could declare itself a nuclear weapons state “by the end of the year.”
He blamed policies implemented by the Biden administration for this major escalation, which the United States has sought to avoid for years. On “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday, Turner stated, “What we see now with this administration, might declare themselves a nuclear weapons state by the end of this year, with the reports have been- news reports have been out stating that there is a possibility.” Brennan inquired as to whether Iran’s “Preeminent Chief has changed his decision” on the country’s atomic ability.
“There is a possibility, with the advances that have been made under the Biden administration’s policy, that Iran could, reports are out, that Iran could declare itself a nuclear weapon state by the end of the year, if- and you would not have had that,” Turner stated. “With the advances that have been made under the Biden administration’s policy,” he added.
“However, has that conclusion not been reached?” Brennan inquired. Turner said, “No.” Turner, a Republican from Ohio, made the remarks as he defended recent statements made by former President Donald Trump, who recently stated that he is “not looking to be bad to Iran” and that the United States would be “friendly” to the nation.
“They can’t have a nuclear weapon, and we were all ready to make sure that they don’t have a nuclear weapon,” the former president stated, because “it’s a whole different world” if they do. After arguing that the multi-nation effort to halt Iran’s nuclear program allowed Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, the former president withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. During his first two years in office, President Biden attempted to revive a portion of the agreement but was unsuccessful.
Turner claimed that Trump is “anti-Iran” and that acknowledging one’s adversaries’ strengths is the same as “not having weakness on your own part.” “Donald Trump, with the maximum pressure campaign on Iran, put the most pressure on Iran that they have had in any administration — both economically and militarily,” he continued.
Turner described Iran as “on the ropes.” “They might declare themselves a nuclear weapons state by the end of this year,” according to the current administration.
According to Turner, “flexibility and freedom that they’ve had under the Biden administration has given them the ability to both try to influence our elections, actively try to undertake a plot to assessing Donald Trump, and to continue their nuclear weapons and their nuclear enrichment programs,” that possibility would not have occurred under the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure campaign.”
CBS News learned that federal investigators are investigating whether Iranian hackers targeted individuals associated with the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns after the Trump campaign claimed earlier this month that it had been hacked and suggested Iranian actors were involved.
An Iranian plot against Trump was also discovered by American intelligence earlier this year. Turner stated that the Biden administration “is not holding Iran accountable on the hacking side, on the misinformation side, and on the alleged attempt on Donald Trump’s life.” Turner continued, “There is not a response that impacts Iran, has a deterrent effect, or holds them accountable.” “And that, of course, results in increased activity and increased Iran’s confidence in its ability to interfere in our elections, putting people in danger in our country,”
