Senior Iranian officials are threatening to ramp up the country's nuclear program as the Trump administration weighs a possible strike against the regime if Tehran does not come to the table for negotiations.

The U.S. is pressing to hold direct nuclear talks with Iran, U.S. officials say, as the Trump administration seeks an ambitious goal: dismantling Tehran’s nuclear program. If Iran agreed to engage, the talks would be the first sustained direct negotiations between the two countries since President Trump withdrew from the previous nuclear agreement in 2018.

Iran can enrich enough uranium to weapons-grade for five nuclear devices within a week, analysts have claimed. But Tehran’s ability to build a viable missile-launched weapon is expected to take between six and 18 months,