The Arak IR-40 heavy water reactor in Iran. Photo: Nanking2012/Wikimedia Commons.

A new report issued by an American think tank warns that Iran could build one or two nuclear bombs by next year and calls for stricter sanctions against the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported.

“Based on the current trajectory of Iran’s nuclear program, we estimate that Iran could reach critical capability in mid-2014,” the report said.

The report defines “critical capability” as the point when Iran can build a weapons grade bomb without detection.

The 154-page report titled “U.S. Nonproliferation Strategy for the Changing Middle East” produced by five non-proliferation experts for the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) was released on Jan. 14.

The report recommends that the U.S. and its allies should intensify international sanctions against Iran, including imposing an international embargo on all investments and trade, before Iran reaches the critical capability point.

The report also advocated for President Obama to make the threat of military action more explicit to Iran.

“The president should explicitly declare that he will use military force to destroy Iran’s nuclear program if Iran takes additional decisive steps toward producing a bomb,” the report said.