House Intelligence Committee chairman says Iran could "declare itself a nuclear weapons state by the end of the year"

Washington — Rep. Mike Turner, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that Iran could declare itself a nuclear weapons state "by the end of the year," blaming Biden administration policies for what would mark a major escalation that the U.S. has sought for years to avoid. 

"What we see now with this administration, [Iran] might declare themselves a nuclear weapons state by the end of this year, with the reports have been- news reports have been out stating that there is a possibility," Turner said Sunday on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." 

Brennan asked him if Iran's "Supreme Leader has changed his conclusion" on the country's nuclear capability.

"There is a possibility, with the advances that have been made under the Biden administration's policy, that Iran could, reports are out, that Iran could declare itself a nuclear weapon state by the end of the year, if- and you would not have had that," Turner said.

"But that conclusion hasn't been made, has it?" Brennan asked.  

"No," Turner answered.

The comments came as Turner, an Ohio Republican, defended recent remarks by former President Donald Trump, who said in recent days that he's "not looking to be bad to Iran" and that the U.S. would be "friendly" to the country. The former president noted that "they can't have a nuclear weapon, and we were all set to make sure that they don't have a nuclear weapon," because once they do, he said "it's a whole different world." 

The former president pulled the U.S. out of the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal in 2018 after arguing that the deal — a multi-nation effort to keep Iran's nuclear program at bay — allowed Iran to amass nuclear weapons. President Biden sought to revive parts of the deal during his first two years in office but was unsuccessful.  

Turner said Trump is "anti-Iran," while arguing that acknowledging the strengths of one's adversaries is "not having weakness on your own part." He added that "Donald Trump, with the maximum pressure campaign on Iran, put the most pressure on Iran that they have had in any administration — both economically, militarily."

"They were on the ropes," Turner said of Iran. "What we see now with this administration… they might declare themselves a nuclear weapons state by the end of this year."

Turner said that possibility would not have occurred under the Trump administration's "maximum pressure campaign," saying the "flexibility and freedom that they've had under the Biden administration has given them the ability to both try to influence our elections, actively try to undertake a plot to assessing Donald Trump, and to continue their nuclear weapons and their nuclear enrichment programs."

Federal investigators have been looking into whether Iranian hackers targeted individuals associated with the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns, CBS News has learned after the Trump campaign said it had been hacked earlier this month and suggested Iranian actors were involved. Earlier this year, U.S. intelligence also detected an Iranian plot against Trump.

Turner said the Biden administration "on the hacking side, on the misinformation side, and on the alleged attempt on Donald Trump's life is not holding Iran accountable."

"There is not a response that impacts Iran or that has a deterrent effect, or holds them accountable," Turner added. "And that, of course, results in increased activity and increased emboldening of Iran to meddle in our elections, and to, I think, you know, have people at risk in our country."