The threat of a broader conflict with IranHamas’s Oct. 7 attacks in Israel and Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip have emboldened a newly aggressive Iran. The Iranian nuclear program has dramatically ramped up. International inspectors announced last month that Iran initiated a threefold increase in its enrichment of near-bomb-grade uranium. U.S. intelligence officials believe that the enrichment needed to turn that fuel into bomb-grade material would take weeks. U.S. and European intelligence officials say they do not believe the Iranians want a direct conflict with the U.S. or Israel, a scenario the officials suspect would not end well.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 08, 2024 09:37 UTC