JERUSALEM – Top Iran experts in the U.S. and in Israel are warning President Biden that his administration’s strategy of de-escalation and containment targeting the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism – the Islamic Republic of Iran – has failed and America needs to reestablish deterrence against Tehran as fears of the regime obtaining a nuclear device grow.

Alarming reports about Iran moving at an astonishingly fast pace to possess a nuclear weapon have emerged since last month.

In December, Reuters reported that a confidential IAEA report released to member states said it had “increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023.” Reuters also said in its report “that Iran is enriching to up to 60%, close to the roughly 90% that is weapons grade, at its Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) in its sprawling Natanz complex and at its Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), which is dug into a mountain.”

The Trump administration introduced a policy of maximum pressure, a potent amalgamation of diplomatic isolation, economic sanctions and military strikes to reverse Iran’s malign activities. Proponents of Trump’s maximum pressure strategy argue it deterred Iranian jingoism and terrorism and the Middle East was more stable during the 2016-2020 period. The Biden administration favors a path of diplomacy to influence a change in Iran’s behavior.

Fox News Digital sent numerous press queries to Iran’s U.N. Permanent Mission in New York and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Benjamin Weinthal reports on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Europe. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal.