An Israeli military intelligence officer warns that Iran has now "crossed the technological threshold."

Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin claimed the Persian country has mastered the technology of making a nuclear bomb that it's now a matter of "incorporating the goal of producing an atomic bomb into its strategy."

Yadlin made the comments to the Israeli cabinet Sunday, according to the Jerusalem Post.

He added that Iran hopes to use dialogue with the west to buy time to build a bomb.

Meanwhile, Iran's news agency reported the country fired a new air-to-surface missile that can target ships.

One defense analyst told Reuters that he believes the test was designed to show that Iran can disrupt maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf.

About 40 percent of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which is linked to the gulf.