US intel: new Iranian leader more inclined toward nuclear

U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is significantly more willing to pursue nuclear weapons than his father and predecessor, according to officials briefed on the intelligence. The assessment, which is largely based on intelligence collected before the recent conflict, comes as American and Israeli officials express heightened concern over Iran's efforts to preserve its nuclear assets, particularly at a fortified underground site known as Pickaxe Mountain.

Mojtaba Khamenei assumed Iran's highest office after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed during the opening strikes of the war. The younger Khamenei was reportedly seriously injured and has maintained a low public profile since, with officials stating his limited communications have complicated assessments of his current intentions. The intelligence suggests he has privately demonstrated less hesitation about weaponization, a shift from his father's longstanding religious prohibition against nuclear arms. Officials stress, however, that they have seen no evidence Iran has resumed active uranium enrichment or weaponization efforts since the conflict began.