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American spies believe Iran is better positioned to restart its nuclear weapons program thanks to research activities it has conducted, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

According to the newspaper, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines warned in a report to Congress last month that Iran has “undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so", The Times of Israel said.

It also said the report did not include a long-running assertion by US intelligence that Tehran “isn’t currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons development activities necessary to produce a testable nuclear device.”

A US official however told the Journal however that the American intelligence community does not think Iran has yet made a decision to break out for a bomb, but its path to one could be eased should it decide to pull the trigger.

While officials do not think the research will shorten the time needed to breakout to a bomb, it “could shrink the knowledge gap Tehran faces in mastering the ability to build a weapon,” the US official said, without giving details about Iran’s recent nuclear work.

The assessment also reportedly says “there has been a notable increase this year in Iranian public statements about nuclear weapons, suggesting the topic is becoming less taboo,” and that whether Iran ultimately decides to built a nuke or not, it still wants to use its atomic program “for negotiation leverage and to respond to perceived international pressure.”

“Iran doesn’t have an active military nuclear program,” a spokeswoman for Haines’ offices said in response to the reporting.