Latest news with #missiles
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
Iran condemns Austria over report on advanced nuclear weapons program
Jerusalem – Iran angrily lashed out at Austria's government Friday after Fox News Digital reported on a document asserting that Tehran has developed an advanced nuclear weapons program that can launch long-range missiles. The explosive report from Austria's version of the FBI—the Directorate State Protection and Intelligence Service—provides a specialized window into the Iranian regime's illicit atomic weapons program and its espionage activities in the central European country. Fox News Digital was the first news organization to report on the Iran sections of the report on Wednesday, sparking a major diplomatic row between the Islamic Republic and Austria. "The Iranian nuclear weapons development program is well advanced, and Iran possesses a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads over long distances," the Austrian domestic intelligence agency report stated. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baqaei, denounced the Austrian intelligence agency "for spreading lies," and called on the Austrian government to "provide an official explanation regarding the irresponsible, provocative, and destructive act by one of its official institutions," according to the Ministry's website. Tehran-based Austrian diplomat Michaela Pacher was summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry, according to the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. "[Pacher] took this opportunity to reiterate Austria's and the EU's position on the Iranian nuclear program," Austrian officials said in a statement. "This position was most recently expressed to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency." Austria expressed support for an EU statement along with other countries in March. "Iran already accumulated more than six significant quantities of 60% enriched material [which the Agency defines as the approximate amount of nuclear material for which the possibility of manufacturing a nuclear explosive device cannot be excluded] and is currently producing one significant quantity of highly enriched uranium every month," noted the EU statement. The EU statement added that "All these actions carry very significant proliferation-related risks and raise grave concerns about Iran's intentions, since they have no credible civilian justification. In this context, the EU remains concerned by statements made by Iranian officials about Iran's capacity to assemble a nuclear weapon." The shocking Austrian intelligence findings contradict the assessment of U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has "undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so." There have long been conflicting views (between U.S. intelligence agencies and European intelligence services) over Iran's illegal nuclear weapons program. The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the Austrian report. "President Trump is committed to Iran never obtaining a nuclear weapon or the capacity to build one," a White House official said. The Austrian report coincides with a new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report. The AP reported on Saturday that Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog said Saturday and called on Tehran to urgently change course and comply with the agency's probe. The report comes at a sensitive time as Tehran and Washington have been holding several rounds of talks in the past weeks over a possible nuclear deal that U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to reach. The report by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency says that as of May 17, Iran has amassed 408.6 kilograms (900.8 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%. That material is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. A report in February put the stockpile at 274.8 kilograms (605.8 pounds). The IAEA report raised a stern warning, saying that Iran is now "the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material" — something the agency said was of "serious concern." In February, Fox News Digital reported that the IAEA said Iran has sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture six nuclear weapons. "The Islamic Republic is the standard-bearer of deception and stonewalling. Today's damning IAEA reports confirm how Iran has been in violation of the NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] for years, even when the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] was in effect. It shows the regime cannot be trusted with any diplomatic agreement," said Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). The JCPOA is the formal name for the Iran nuclear deal that was concluded between the Obama administration and Iran. President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 because, his administration said at the time, the deal did not prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. "I think Iran's regime's response to Austria's findings shows its sensitivity over these matters," Brodsky said. "It also wants to bully Austria. Austria should force the Iranian regime to decrease the size of its embassy in Vienna which it has long used as a hub for malign intelligence collection and operations throughout Europe." The clerical regime's foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, posted on his X account a statement in response to the Fox News Digital report. "Media is speculating about an imminent Iran-U.S. deal. Not sure if we are there yet," he wrote. "Iran is sincere about a diplomatic solution that will serve the interests of all sides. "But getting there requires an agreement that will fully terminate all sanctions and uphold Iran's nuclear rights—including enrichment. Path to a deal goes through the negotiating table and not the media." The U.S. talks to dismantle Iran's illicit atomic weapons program coincides with a nationwide truckers' strike in Iran. The widespread labor unrest could severely weaken the regime, according to Iran experts. The exiled crown prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, who lives in the U.S, called on U.S. labor unions to stand with Iranian truckers. "Truck drivers and workers across Iran are on strike and are putting their lives on the line to fight for their rights and for a better future for their families," Pahlavi, who lives in the U.S, wrote on X. "Now, they are being jailed and threatened for posting photos and videos of their strike. Only in a free Iran will all workers have the right to freely and openly organize. I invite you, labor unions and leaders, to stand with your fellow workers in Iran and show your solidarity."
Asharq Al-Awsat
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program Still Active… IRGC Agents Disguised in European Companies
The Austrian intelligence agency said in a report that Iran is continuing with its active nuclear weapons program, which it says can be used to launch missiles over long distances. Also, the IRGC, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, is accused of planting spies in European companies and factories to learn expertise and transfer new technologies, the report showed according to Fox news. It said the intelligence gathering of Austrian officials contradicts the assessment of the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told a Senate Intelligence Committee in March that the American intelligence community 'continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.' Austria's version of the FBI - the Directorate State Protection and Intelligence Service - wrote Monday in the intelligence report, 'In order to assert and enforce its regional political power ambitions, Iran is striving for comprehensive rearmament, with nuclear weapons to make the regime immune to attack and to expand and consolidate its dominance in the Middle East and beyond.' In the 211-page report that covers pressing threats to Austria's democracy, the agency said that the 'Iranian nuclear weapons development program is well advanced, and Iran possesses a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads over long distances.' Shell Companies The report said that Iran's intelligence seeks to exploit its relations with research institutes and academic centers in war zones to use their expertise for its own military-industrial development. According to the intelligence document obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital, Iranian regime intelligence actively targets Western technologies and dual-use goods, often using front companies and shell corporations tied to the Revolutionary Guards. These networks enable Iran to acquire components for WMDs and high-tech military equipment. 'Western military technology from war zones - such as captured Israeli or US drones - is disassembled, studied, and replicated,' the report said. 'Iranian intelligence services are familiar with developing and implementing circumvention strategies for the procurement of military equipment, proliferation-sensitive technologies, and materials for weapons of mass destruction,' the Austrian intelligence agency added. In October 2022, the Ukrainian military showcased a captured modern Iranian 'Mohajer-6' attack drone that was recovered from the Black Sea. It said the reconnaissance drone is equipped with an aircraft engine manufactured by the Austrian company Rotax, signaling Tehran's non-compliance with the EU's arms-related sanctions. In October 2020, after the US imposed new sanctions on the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum, the National Iranian Oil Company and the National Iranian Tanker Company 'for their financial support to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps – Quds Force,' Rotax said it stopped selling aircraft engines to Iran. Austria's counter-terrorism authority reported a rise in job applications from Iranians to Austrian companies, particularly those specialized in the metal and electrical engineering industries, raising security concerns about Iran's attempt to seek sensitive knowledge to support its weapons programs. The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), also reported an increase in espionage activities, particularly targeting economic and research institutions in Austria by foreign actors seeking to obtain economic and scientific information. Earlier, European countries imposed strict measures on Iranian students applying to technical universities and sectors related to nuclear technology. Noting Iran's interference in regional conflicts, the Austrian intelligence agency said that since the 2010s, the Iranian regime's arms shipments have fueled regional conflicts, especially in Syria and Palestine. Disguised Intelligence Officers The Austrian intelligence findings could be an unwanted wrench in President Trump's negotiation process to resolve the atomic crisis with Iran's rulers because the data outlined in the report suggests the regime will not abandon its drive to secure a nuclear weapon, Fox News said. The report comes as the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose headquarters are in the Austrian capital, will in the coming days publish its own review of Iran's nuclear activities. The Fox news report said, 'Vienna is home to one of the largest embassies of Iran in Europe, which disguises intelligence officers with diplomatic.' The Austrian intelligence report noted that, 'Iranian intelligence services are familiar with developing and implementing circumvention strategies for the procurement of military equipment, proliferation-sensitive technologies, and materials for weapons of mass destruction.' In 2021, a Belgian court convicted Asadollah Asadi, a former Iranian diplomat based in Vienna, for planning to blow up a 2018 opposition meeting of tens of thousands of Iranian dissidents held outside Paris. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served as Trump's personal lawyer at the time, attended the event in France. When asked about the differences in conclusions between the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Austrian intelligence report, David Albright, a physicist and founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, DC, told Fox News Digital, 'The ODNI report is stuck in the past, a remnant of the fallacious unclassified 2007 NIE [National Intelligence Estimate].' 'The Austrian report in general is similar to German and British assessments. Both governments, by the way, made clear to (the) US IC [intelligence community] in 2007 that they thought the US assessment was wrong that the Iranian nuclear weapons program ended in 2003.' "The German assessment is from BND [Germany's Federal Intelligence Service] station chief in DC at that time. The British info is from a senior British non-proliferation official I was having dinner with the day the 2007 NIE was made public. The German said the US was misinterpreting data they all possessed.' Iran's Response Iran on Friday called for an 'official explanation' from the Austrian government following a recent report by the country's intelligence agency concerning Iran's nuclear program. In a statement, Esmail Baghaei, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, decried the Austrian intelligence agency's report about Iran's 'active nuclear weapons program' as 'false and baseless,' according to Iran's Tasnim news agency. Referring to Iran's membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the obvious fact that Iran's nuclear program is subject to the strictest inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Foreign Ministry spokesman considered Austria's move as undermining the credibility of the IAEA. 'Unlike Austria and some other European countries that are deceitfully silent about the arming of Israel with all kinds of weapons of mass destruction, Iran is strongly opposed to nuclear weapons and other types of mass destruction weapons,' he said. Also, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister and lead nuclear negotiator, responded to the report on Thursday, saying 'Media is speculating about an imminent Iran-US deal. Not sure if we are there yet.' On X, he wrote, 'Iran is sincere about a diplomatic solution that will serve the interests of all sides. But getting there requires an agreement that will fully terminate all sanctions and uphold Iran's nuclear rights -- including enrichment.'
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
German leader offers to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missiles to hit Russia
BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged Wednesday to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets as the Kyiv government fights to repel Russia's invasion. Some of the advanced weapon systems that allies have supplied to Ukraine during the 3-year war were subject to range and target restrictions — a fraught political issue stemming from fears that if the weapons struck deep inside Russia, the Kremlin might retaliate against the country that provided them and draw NATO into Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. Standing beside visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Merz said that under an intensified cooperation agreement, Germany 'will strive to equip the Ukrainian army with all the capabilities that truly enable it to successfully defend the country,' including upgraded domestic missile production. After the United States, Germany has been the biggest individual supplier of military aid to Ukraine. 'Ukraine will be able to fully defend itself, including against military targets outside its own territory' with its own missiles, Merz said at a joint news conference. Hours after Merz's pledge, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov publicly invited Ukraine to hold direct peace talks with Moscow in Istanbul on June 2. In a video statement, he said that Russia would use the meeting to deliver a memorandum setting out Moscow's position on 'reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis.' He also said any Russian delegation would again be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. 'We hope that all those who are sincerely interested in the success of the peace process in more than just words will support a new round of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul,' Lavrov said. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said his country isn't opposed to such direct peace talks but it still hasn't seen the memorandum promised by Russia and that further meetings would be 'empty' without it. 'We call on them to fulfill that promise without delay and stop trying to turn the meeting into a destructive one,' Umerov wrote on X. He said he had handed such a document with the Ukrainian position to the Russian side. Low-level delegations from Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years in Istanbul on May 16. The talks, which lasted two hours, brought no significant breakthrough, although both sides agreed to the largest prisoner exchange of the war. It was carried out last weekend and freed 1,000 captives on each side. Germany doesn't mention its Taurus cruise missiles Merz declined to say whether Germany will supply its advanced Taurus long-range cruise missile to Ukraine — long a request by Kyiv and a step that Berlin has resisted. The decision not to commit to giving Taurus missiles to Ukraine was a 'big disappointment,' said lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter, a senior member of Merz's party, the Christian Democratic Union. Merz loves 'very strong personal statements' but is not able to back them up with support from his coalition partners, Kiesewetter told The Associated Press. 'We have a Moscow connection in Germany,' Kiesewetter said, suggesting some politicians are in favor of Ukraine ceding territory to Russia to end the war, along with lifting some sanctions. Asked about Germany's offer to fund long-range missile production in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that the move was an obstacle to reaching a peace agreement. Both Merz and Zelensky criticized the Kremlin's effective rejection of an unconditional ceasefire proposed by the US, which Kyiv accepted. Kyiv says Moscow has been slow to respond to proposals for a settlement. Merz said last Monday that Germany and other major allies were no longer imposing range limits on weapons they send to Ukraine, although he indicated their use was limited to Russian military targets. Ukraine has launched its own long-range drones against sites that support Russia's military efforts, including refineries and chemical plants. Then-US President Joe Biden last year authorized Ukraine to use US-supplied missiles for limited strikes in Russia. The decision allowed Ukraine to use the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, against Russia. In Berlin, Zelensky called for deeper defense cooperation across Europe and with Washington, stressing the need for long-range capabilities and sustained military funding to ensure Ukraine's resilience. He said the cooperation projects already exist. 'We simply want (the missiles) to be produced in the quantity we need,' Zelensky told reporters. Zelensky said Tuesday that Ukraine is ready to hold peace talks at the highest level, including a trilateral meeting with himself, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. 'We are ready to meet at the level of leaders. Both the American side knows this, and the Russian side knows this,' he said. Zelensky said he would accept any configuration of talks, whether that includes one trilateral meeting or separate meetings with Trump. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said Russia is grateful to Trump for his mediation efforts. 'At the same time, there is a big number of nuances to be discussed that can't be neglected and which neither party is going to sacrifice, because of its national interests,' Peskov told reporters. 'Just like the United States, Russia has its national interests that are of primary importance to us.' Front-line fighting, deep strikes continue Meanwhile, fighting has continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where Ukraine's army is shorthanded against its bigger adversary. Zelensky claimed Tuesday that Russia is mobilizing up to 45,000 men every month, while Ukraine mobilizes between 25,000-27,000. Both sides are continuing to conduct deep strikes. Russia launched its biggest drone attack of the war against Ukraine on Sunday. Russian air defenses downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 Russian regions late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Russia's Defense Ministry said, in what appeared to be one of the biggest Ukrainian drone assaults of the war. Ukraine is increasing its domestic production of drones and missiles, according to Zelensky. He said late Tuesday that Ukraine wants European countries to help it invest in the manufacture of attack drones, air defense interceptors, cruise missiles and ballistic systems. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses shot down Ukrainian 33 drones heading toward the capital. Moscow regional Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said 42 drones were downed. He said drone fragments damaged three residential buildings in the village of Troitskoye, but no one was hurt. More than 60 flights were canceled Wednesday in Moscow as the capital's airports were forced to ground planes amid drone warnings, said the federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya. Overnight, Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine using five Iskander ballistic missiles, one guided air-launched missile and 88 drones, Ukraine's air force said. Air defense units shot down 34 drones, and 37 drones were jammed.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Germany's Merz offers to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missiles to hit Russia
BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged Wednesday to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets as the Kyiv government fights to repel Russia's invasion. Some of the advanced weapon systems that allies have supplied to Ukraine during the 3-year war were subject to range and target restrictions — a fraught political issue stemming from fears that if the weapons struck deep inside Russia, the Kremlin might retaliate against the country that provided them and draw NATO into Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. Standing beside visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Merz said that under an intensified cooperation agreement, Germany 'will strive to equip the Ukrainian army with all the capabilities that truly enable it to successfully defend the country,' including upgraded domestic missile production. After the United States, Germany has been the biggest individual supplier of military aid to Ukraine. 'Ukraine will be able to fully defend itself, including against military targets outside its own territory' with its own missiles, Merz said at a joint news conference. Hours after Merz's pledge, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov publicly invited Ukraine to hold direct peace talks with Moscow in Istanbul on June 2. In a video statement, he said that Russia would use the meeting to deliver a memorandum setting out Moscow's position on 'reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis.' He also said any Russian delegation would again be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. 'We hope that all those who are sincerely interested in the success of the peace process in more than just words will support a new round of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul,' Lavrov said. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said his country isn't opposed to such direct peace talks but it still hasn't seen the memorandum promised by Russia and that further meetings would be 'empty' without it. 'We call on them to fulfill that promise without delay and stop trying to turn the meeting into a destructive one,' Umerov wrote on X. He said he had handed such a document with the Ukrainian position to the Russian side. Low-level delegations from Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years in Istanbul on May 16. The talks, which lasted two hours, brought no significant breakthrough, although both sides agreed to the largest prisoner exchange of the war. It was carried out last weekend and freed 1,000 captives on each side. Germany doesn't mention its Taurus cruise missiles Merz declined to say whether Germany will supply its advanced Taurus long-range cruise missile to Ukraine — long a request by Kyiv and a step that Berlin has resisted. The decision not to commit to giving Taurus missiles to Ukraine was a 'big disappointment,' said lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter, a senior member of Merz's party, the Christian Democratic Union. Merz loves 'very strong personal statements' but is not able to back them up with support from his coalition partners, Kiesewetter told The Associated Press. 'We have a Moscow connection in Germany,' Kiesewetter said, suggesting some politicians are in favor of Ukraine ceding territory to Russia to end the war, along with lifting some sanctions. Asked about Germany's offer to fund long-range missile production in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that the move was an obstacle to reaching a peace agreement. Both Merz and Zelensky criticized the Kremlin's effective rejection of an unconditional ceasefire proposed by the US, which Kyiv accepted. Kyiv says Moscow has been slow to respond to proposals for a settlement. Merz said last Monday that Germany and other major allies were no longer imposing range limits on weapons they send to Ukraine, although he indicated their use was limited to Russian military targets. Ukraine has launched its own long-range drones against sites that support Russia's military efforts, including refineries and chemical plants. Then-US President Joe Biden last year authorized Ukraine to use US-supplied missiles for limited strikes in Russia. The decision allowed Ukraine to use the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, against Russia. In Berlin, Zelensky called for deeper defense cooperation across Europe and with Washington, stressing the need for long-range capabilities and sustained military funding to ensure Ukraine's resilience. He said the cooperation projects already exist. 'We simply want (the missiles) to be produced in the quantity we need,' Zelensky told reporters. Zelensky said Tuesday that Ukraine is ready to hold peace talks at the highest level, including a trilateral meeting with himself, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. 'We are ready to meet at the level of leaders. Both the American side knows this, and the Russian side knows this,' he said. Zelensky said he would accept any configuration of talks, whether that includes one trilateral meeting or separate meetings with Trump. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said Russia is grateful to Trump for his mediation efforts. 'At the same time, there is a big number of nuances to be discussed that can't be neglected and which neither party is going to sacrifice, because of its national interests,' Peskov told reporters. 'Just like the United States, Russia has its national interests that are of primary importance to us.' Front-line fighting, deep strikes continue Meanwhile, fighting has continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where Ukraine's army is shorthanded against its bigger adversary. Zelensky claimed Tuesday that Russia is mobilizing up to 45,000 men every month, while Ukraine mobilizes between 25,000-27,000. Both sides are continuing to conduct deep strikes. Russia launched its biggest drone attack of the war against Ukraine on Sunday. Russian air defenses downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 Russian regions late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Russia's Defense Ministry said, in what appeared to be one of the biggest Ukrainian drone assaults of the war. Ukraine is increasing its domestic production of drones and missiles, according to Zelensky. He said late Tuesday that Ukraine wants European countries to help it invest in the manufacture of attack drones, air defense interceptors, cruise missiles and ballistic systems. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses shot down Ukrainian 33 drones heading toward the capital. Moscow regional Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said 42 drones were downed. He said drone fragments damaged three residential buildings in the village of Troitskoye, but no one was hurt. More than 60 flights were canceled Wednesday in Moscow as the capital's airports were forced to ground planes amid drone warnings, said the federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya. Overnight, Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine using five Iskander ballistic missiles, one guided air-launched missile and 88 drones, Ukraine's air force said. Air defense units shot down 34 drones, and 37 drones were jammed.
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Explosive new intelligence report reveals Iran's nuclear weapons program still active
FIRST ON FOX — A new intelligence report claims Iran is continuing with its active nuclear weapons program, which it says can be used to launch missiles over long distances. The startling intelligence gathering of Austrian officials contradicts the assessment of the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told a Senate Intelligence Committee in March that the American intelligence community "continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003." Austria's version of the FBI — the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution — wrote Monday in an intelligence report, "In order to assert and enforce its regional political power ambitions, the Islamic Republic of Iran is striving for comprehensive rearmament, with nuclear weapons to make the regime immune to attack and to expand and consolidate its dominance in the Middle East and beyond." The Austrian domestic intelligence agency report added, "The Iranian nuclear weapons development program is well advanced, and Iran possesses a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads over long distances." According to an intelligence document obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital, "Iran has developed sophisticated sanctions-evasion networks, which has benefited Russia." The Austrian intelligence findings could be an unwanted wrench in President Trump's negotiation process to resolve the atomic crisis with Iran's rulers because the data outlined in the report suggests the regime will not abandon its drive to secure a nuclear weapon. In response to the Austrian intelligence, a White House official told Fox News Digital, "President Trump is committed to Iran never obtaining a nuclear weapon or the capacity to build one." The danger of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism (and its illegal atomic weapons program) was cited 99 times in the 211-page report that covers pressing threats to Austria's democracy. "Vienna is home to one of the largest embassies of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Europe, which disguises intelligence officers with diplomatic," the Austrian intelligence report noted. "Iranian intelligence services are familiar with developing and implementing circumvention strategies for the procurement of military equipment, proliferation-sensitive technologies, and materials for weapons of mass destruction," the Austrian intelligence agency said. In 2021, a Belgium court convicted Asadollah Asadi, a former Iranian diplomat based in Vienna, for planning to blow up a 2018 opposition meeting of tens of thousands of Iranian dissidents held outside Paris. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served as President Trump's personal lawyer at the time, attended the event in France. When asked about the differences in conclusions between the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Austrian intelligence report, David Albright, a physicist and founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital, "The ODNI report is stuck in the past, a remnant of the fallacious unclassified 2007 NIE [National Intelligence Estimate]. "The Austrian report in general is similar to German and British assessments. Both governments, by the way, made clear to (the) U.S. IC [intelligence community] in 2007 that they thought the U.S. assessment was wrong that the Iranian nuclear weapons program ended in 2003. "The German assessment is from BND [Germany's Federal Intelligence Service] station chief in D.C. at that time. The British info is from a senior British non-proliferation official I was having dinner with the day the 2007 NIE was made public. The German said the U.S. was misinterpreting data they all possessed." The Austrian intelligence findings that Tehran is working on an active atomic weapons program "seems clear enough," said Albright. In 2023, Fox News Digital revealed a fresh batch of European intelligence reports showed that Iran sought to bypass U.S. and EU sanctions to secure technology for its nuclear weapons program with a view toward testing an atomic bomb. European intelligence agencies have documented prior to 2015 and after the Iran nuclear deal( JCPOA) was agreed upon that Tehran continued efforts to illegally secure technology for its atomic, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction programs. The Austrian intelligence report noted that Iran provides weapons to the U.S.-designated terrorist movements Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as to Syrian militias. A spokesperson for ODNI declined to comment. The U.S. State Department and U.S. National Security Council did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital press queries.
