WASHINGTON — John Ratcliffe, the nominee for director of the Central Intelligence Agency under Donald Trump, warned against the growing threat of nuclear Iran at his confirmation hearing.

In his opening statement to Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Ratcliffe listed what he sees as key national security concerns in "what may be the most challenging national security environment in our nation's history." He pointed to Iran as one of those key concerns: "The Iranian regime and its proxies continue to export mayhem across the Middle East, and Iran is closer to nuclear breakout than ever before."  

Ratcliffe has held more hard-line views on Iran. In June of 2024, he accused the Biden administration of “opting to alienate Israel and appease Iran.” Just before the 2020 election, while still serving as Trump’s director of national intelligence (DNI), Ratcliffe participated in a press conference, during which he and other officials accused Iran of sending emails to American voters meant to hurt Donald Trump’s chances in that election. 

The nominee’s warning on Iran comes weeks after the chief of the UN's nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that Iran's capacity to produce 60% enriched uranium, just one step away from nuclear weapons-grade enrichment of 90%, is "increasing dramatically." Confidential IAEA reports that circulated in November said Iran had increased its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium to over 400 pounds, up from 350 pounds in August.