With its new leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, does Iran want – or need – a nuclear weapon?

Iran currently holds roughly 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent—theoretically enough for ten nuclear warheads, according to The Conversation. But as the US-Iran conflict grinds on, a critical question has been overshadowed: does Iran actually want a nuclear weapon? Experts disagree. Yes, nuclear weapons would provide deterrence and regional leverage. But Iran has already proved it can control the Strait of Hormuz—a more tangible economic weapon with far less international backlash. The new Iranian leadership is reportedly more interested in nuclear weapons than its predecessor. Yet even the Trump administration's intelligence community has publicly acknowledged Iran hasn't actively pursued the bomb in decades. Ultimately, a lasting solution will require the kind of diplomatic trust that fractured when the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018—and that trust is now even harder to rebuild.

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