U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff reveals Iran’s nuclear ambitions, claiming the regime possesses significant stockpiles of enriched uranium, while the IAEA maintains there is no evidence of a nuclear weapons program.
The ongoing discourse surrounding Iran’s nuclear program has intensified, particularly following revelations from U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. In recent discussions, Witkoff disclosed that Iranian negotiators boasted about their substantial stockpile of weapons-grade uranium, a claim that contrasts sharply with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) assertion of no evidence indicating Iran is developing a nuclear bomb.
Days into a coordinated U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi took to social media platform X, stating, “There has been no evidence of Iran building a nuclear bomb.” However, when Fox News Digital inquired how the IAEA could make such an assessment without access to Iran’s facilities, no response was provided.
Witkoff’s comments came during an interview with Sean Hannity, where he detailed his discussions with Iranian officials prior to the military operations initiated by the U.S. and Israel. He reported that Iranian negotiators claimed an “inalienable right” to enrich uranium. When Witkoff countered that the Trump administration had the “inalienable right to stop [them],” he noted that the Iranian representatives indicated this was merely their starting position in negotiations.
“They have approximately 10,000 kilograms of fissionable material,” Witkoff explained, “which includes roughly 460 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium and another 1,000 kilograms of 20% enriched uranium.” He emphasized that Iran manufactures its own centrifuges for enrichment, making it nearly impossible to halt their progress. Witkoff warned that the 60% enriched material could be converted to weapons-grade within a week to ten days, while the 20% enriched uranium could reach weapons-grade status in three to four weeks.
During his initial meeting with Iranian negotiators, Witkoff recounted their unabashed acknowledgment of controlling 460 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium, which they claimed could be used to produce 11 nuclear bombs. “They were proud of it,” he said, highlighting their evasion of oversight protocols that allowed them to reach this level of enrichment.
In his post, Grossi did concede that Iran possesses a “large stockpile of near-weapons grade enriched uranium” and has not granted inspectors full access to its nuclear program. He stated that the IAEA “will not be in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful” until Iran addresses outstanding safeguards issues.
Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, criticized the lack of attention given to Grossi’s warnings during the Biden administration. He noted that the IAEA board had previously found Iran in breach of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that Grossi has confirmed the agency cannot verify the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.
“This is not Iraq, where we lacked hard public evidence of a nuclear weapons program,” Goldberg stated. “Iran has developed nearly every aspect of its nuclear weapons program in plain sight, with weaponization efforts continuing at undeclared sites.” He argued that if the administration possessed evidence of Iran’s rapid advancements in its nuclear capabilities, it would be justified in enforcing a red line regarding their activities.
Spencer Faragasso, a senior fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security, noted that prior to the June 2025 conflict, his organization calculated that Iran had approximately 440.9 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium. He indicated that with around 24 to 25 kilograms of 90% enriched uranium needed per weapon, Iran could theoretically produce 11 nuclear weapons within a month.
Faragasso raised concerns about whether Iran could access its enriched materials and whether they had additional centrifuges not installed at the targeted facilities. He explained that enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels is a complex task that would require new enrichment sites and components that Iran would need to recover from destroyed facilities or illicitly import.
“The successes gained from the June war are not permanent,” he cautioned, adding that Iranian officials have publicly expressed intentions to reconstitute their enrichment program. “The longer this situation persists, the more dire it becomes, especially concerning their ballistic missile program.” He mentioned that Iran had previously indicated a desire to establish a fourth enrichment site, which the IAEA identified as being located in Esfahan, although the specifics of its construction remain unverified.
Additionally, the group is currently monitoring an Israeli strike on March 3 targeting a site known as Min-Zadayi, which Faragasso described as previously unknown. The Israel Defense Forces reported that this site was utilized by nuclear scientists working on key components for nuclear weapons.
In response to the escalating situation, the U.S. State Department referred Fox News Digital to comments made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who emphasized that the Iranian regime, described as “terroristic” and “radical,” must never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. Rubio underscored the potential threat posed by Iran, stating, “Imagine what they would do to us. Imagine what they would do to others. Under President Trump, that will never, ever happen.”
As the international community grapples with the implications of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the contrasting narratives from U.S. officials and the IAEA highlight the complexities of monitoring and addressing nuclear proliferation in the region.
According to Fox News.