The United States believes Iran possessed enough highly enriched uranium to potentially produce multiple nuclear weapons before the outbreak of the current conflict with the U.S. and Israel, according to U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Speaking to CNBC on Tuesday, Witkoff said Iran had accumulated approximately 460 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, a level far beyond civilian nuclear needs.
“There is no reason to be at 60%. None. Zero reason, unless you’re pursuing a weapon,” Witkoff said.
He added that during negotiations with the United States, Iranian officials claimed they had enough nuclear material to produce up to eleven bombs and were about a week to a week and a half away from reaching weapons-grade enrichment levels.
According to Witkoff, Iran’s negotiating posture suggested it was not seriously seeking a diplomatic solution.
“They predicated negotiations on the stance that they wouldn’t turn over to the U.S. through diplomacy what the U.S. could not win through military means,” he said.
“That was reason enough for us to determine that they weren’t there to be purposefully negotiating a diplomatic settlement to this conflict.”
Witkoff also addressed reports suggesting Russia had provided Iran with intelligence about U.S. military assets.
He said Moscow denied those allegations during a phone call Monday between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Steve Witkoff: Israel is a one-bomb country. One bomb takes them out. That’s why it’s so existential to Israel.
Steve Witkoff details what took place during negotiations with the Iranians: “They brought with them an agreement that they had promised to give us 2 weeks before, and they wouldn’t even let us take it back so we could analyze it… and it was clear in that agreement that there were all kinds of ways that they were looking to circumvent the no enrichment red line that we had set forth.”
“He started yelling and screaming.” U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff detailed Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s lack of willingness to negotiate over the country’s nuclear program on Tuesday’s “The Record with Greta Van Susteren.”
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)