Washington is worried

USA: Weakened Iran could build nuclear weapons

The US government is concerned that a weakened Iran could possibly decide to build nuclear bombs. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that recent developments had limited the Islamic Republic's conventional military capabilities.

"It's no wonder there are voices saying, 'Hey, maybe we need to have a nuclear weapon (...) maybe we need to rethink our nuclear doctrine,'" Sullivan told CNN on Sunday.

There is a risk that Iran will go back on its promise not to build nuclear weapons. He is discussing this with the incoming administration of President Donald Trump, Sullivan said. The USA is also consulting with Israel on this.

Iran has ramped up uranium production 
A statement from Iran was not initially available. The Islamic Republic describes its nuclear program as peaceful, but has ramped up uranium production in recent years.

Iran and its allies have suffered setbacks in recent months, particularly as a result of Israeli attacks on the radical Islamic militias Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, but also on targets in Iran itself.

According to experts, the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been granted asylum in Russia, is also likely to affect the government in Tehran.