U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Turner warned on Sunday that Iran may declare itself a nuclear weapons state by the end of this year, citing rapid advancements in the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. Turner blamed the Biden administration’s policies for reversing gains made during former President Donald Trump’s tenure. Speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation, Turner noted the impact of Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, which included economic and military measures. “Donald Trump… put the most pressure on Iran that they have had in any administration. Both economically, militarily, they were on the ropes,” he told host Margaret Brennan. “What we see now with this administration, they might declare themselves a nuclear weapons state by the end of this year.” “The flexibility and freedom that [Iran has] had under the Biden administration has given them the ability to… continue their nuclear weapons and nuclear enrichment programs,” he added. Recent reports from Iran International, a London-based opposition media outlet, indicate that Tehran is advancing its secret nuclear program. According to three independent sources, Iran is restructuring its Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), resuming tests to produce nuclear bomb detonators, and retaining Mohammad Eslami as the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. In response to these developments, the Biden administration issued private warnings to Tehran in June regarding its nuclear research activities, according to Axios. Both U.S. and Israeli officials have detected suspicious activities by Iranian scientists, fueling fears that Iran may use the period around the U.S. presidential election to push closer to nuclear weaponization. American and Israeli officials met in Washington in mid-July to discuss coordinated efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The White House confirmed that these discussions focused on measures to ensure Iran never achieves nuclear weapon status. The mounting tension has also triggered debates within Iran’s leadership, with some officials advocating for nuclear weapons as a deterrence strategy. Iranian lawmaker Mohammad-Reza Sabbaghian voiced his support for such a path during a parliamentary session, asking, “What logic or law dictates that arrogant powers should have nuclear weapons, but Iran should not?” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)