According to the Anadolu agency, as Washington intensifies its military campaign against Tehran, a new claim from the negotiating table is sharpening the stakes.
In an interview with Fox News, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Iranian officials told him earlier this year that they possessed enough highly enriched uranium to build 11 nuclear weapons and, he suggested, they were unapologetic about it.
“They controlled 460 kilograms of 60% [enriched uranium] and that they’re aware that could make 11 nuclear bombs,” Witkoff said, describing the first round of talks.
According to Witkoff, the Iranian negotiators spoke “with no shame,” appearing “proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs.”
The figure, 460 kilograms enriched to 60%, falls short of weapons-grade but dramatically shortens the technical leap required. Witkoff reiterated his assertion that the stockpile could be converted into weapons-grade material “within a week or 10 days,” though he added that doing so would require facilities the US says were destroyed in previous strikes.
The remarks land at a volatile moment. President Donald Trump, speaking in his first live appearance since launching Operation Epic Fury, said the objectives are “clear”, dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities, cripple its navy and ensure Tehran never obtains a nuclear weapon. He vowed to “annihilate” Iran’s naval forces and argued the country “cannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside their borders.”
Witkoff said Iranian officials insisted they had “an inalienable right” to enrich nuclear fuel. “We responded that the president feels we have the inalienable right to stop you dead in your tracks,” he said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sought to reassure Americans: “This is not Iraq. This is not endless.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the strikes “preemptively,” warning that “the hardest hits are yet to come from the US military.”
Whether diplomacy is exhausted or merely paused may determine how long this confrontation and its global consequences endure…..See More
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