CIA chief says Iran’s weakness could revive nuclear talks

CIA Director William Burns suggested on Friday that Iran’s weakened strategic position marked by regional setbacks could open the door to renewed nuclear negotiations.

"That sense of weakness could also theoretically create a possibility for serious negotiations," Burns said in an interview with NPR, referencing his experience with secret talks involving Tehran more than a decade ago.

Burns highlighted several factors undermining Iran's strategic position, including two failed ballistic missile strikes on Israel, the collapse of its allied group Hezbollah in Lebanon, the significant weakening of Hamas in Gaza and the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

"Iran’s strategic position has suffered considerably over the course of the last six or seven months," Burns said. "All of that strategically puts the Iranian regime in a much weaker position."

"The Iranian regime could decide in the face of that weakness that it needs to restore its deterrence as it sees it and reverse the decision made at the end of 2003 to suspend their weaponization program," he added.

However, he emphasized there is no evidence Tehran is actively pursuing a nuclear weapon. "We do not see any sign today that any such decision has been made, but we obviously watch it intently," he said.