Israeli and US officials are increasingly concerned by reports that Iran may be preparing a so-called “declarative bomb”: assembling all the technical components needed for a single nuclear warhead and mounting them on a missile without conducting a full nuclear test.
Security analysts say such a move would shorten the timeline to a deliverable device capable of threatening parts of Europe, because it bypasses the lengthy testing phase while still producing a functional weapon. The prospect has heightened diplomatic and military tension, with policymakers scrambling to reassess containment, deterrence and intelligence postures.
For now, Israeli and US decision-makers appear to be holding off on kinetic options, signaling they will wait until any suspected site restoration or weaponization activity reaches a clear activation threshold that would indicate an imminent operational capability.
In public statements and private briefings, officials emphasize stepped-up surveillance, sanctions readiness and coordination with partners to blunt proliferation pathways while avoiding premature escalation.