Members of the intelligence community are worried Iran may already have developed a nuclear warhead or tactical nuclear weapons.
A group of experts, including former CIA and National Security Agency operatives and a former member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, gathered on Capitol Hill Tuesday to discuss the matter.
The panel, hosted by "EMPact America," also analyzed Islamic Republic's long range missile capabilities, which are geared to strike America and Europe.
"The fact is the Iranians are trying to put together some very complex technology that can be used in a very sophisticated way against a very sophisticated target: us," Ret. Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer said.
"Do they want us to think we've slowed them down? I would," he speculated. "If I were the bad guys, I'd want the folks here to think we're lagging."
EMPact America experts warned that perhaps the greatest threat posed by a nuclear Iran would be an electromagnetic pulse attack.
Such an assault could cripple America's infrastructure by disabling many electronic systems.