The long-running Iranian nuclear crisis is reaching a tipping point. Since his re-election in November, U.S. President Donald Trump has consistently expressed support for reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran, but his administration’s rhetoric toward Tehran sends mixed signals about U.S. diplomatic intentions. 

Tehran’s recent acceleration of proliferation-sensitive activities increases the risk that the United States or Israel perceive its actions as a step toward weaponization, which could trigger military action or prompt Washington to ratchet up economic and political pressure on Iran even further.

The widespread deployment of autonomous weapons systems and the integration of artificial intelligence into nuclear command, control, and communications systems pose novel threats to strategic stability that are not addressed by existing U.S. and multilateral initiatives to mitigate the dangers of artificial intelligence.