Trump’s Mideast envoy says Iranian negotiators proudly told US delegation during talks that Iran evaded enforcement of limits on its nuclear program and had enriched enough uranium for nearly a dozen nuclear warheads.
By World Israel News Staff
Iranian negotiators boasted to an American delegation during nuclear talks last month that the Islamic Republic has succeeded in evading international limits imposed on its atomic program, and that Iran has assembled a stockpile of enriched uranium sufficient to produce 11 nuclear warheads, President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East said Monday night.
Speaking with Fox News‘ Sean Hannity, Steve Witkoff recalled that during the first meeting between the two sides in the rebooted nuclear talks, Iran’s delegation bragged that their country’s nuclear program had flouted international restrictions.
“In that first meeting, both the Iranian negotiators said to us directly with no shame that they controlled 460 kilograms of 60% [enriched uranium] and that they’re aware that they could make 11 nuclear bombs, and that was the beginning of their negotiating stance.” Witkoff said.
“They were proud of it, they were proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols.”
Trump’s envoy said that Iran made it clear it would not agree to American demands to cease all enrichment efforts, adding that the US had offered to provide Iran with fuel for Iran’s civilian nuclear program in exchange for a commitment to a ten-year hiatus on all uranium enrichment inside the Islamic Republic.
“They rejected that, which told us that, at that very moment, they had no notion of doing anything but retaining enrichment for the purpose of weaponizing,” Witkoff continued.
Last month, Witkoff said that Iran was potentially as little as one week away from building a nuclear weapon.
During Monday’s interview, Witkoff reiterated his claim.
“They have 10,000 – roughly – kilograms of fissionable material. That is broken up into roughly 460 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium, another thousand kilograms of 20% enriched uranium, and the balance is at 3.67%.”
“They manufacture their own centrifuges to enrich this material. So, there is almost no stopping them. They have an endless supply of it.”
“The 60% material…can be brought to 90% – that is weapons-grade – in roughly one week, maybe ten days at the outside. The 20% can be brought to weapons grade inside of three to four weeks.”
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