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Isfahan atomic facility, Iran (PTI record photo)
Iran a week distant from producing bomb-grade uranium? Rising tensions successful Tehran erstwhile again interest Uncle Sam, arsenic President Donald Trump’s peculiar envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff, expressed concerns amid escalating strains betwixt the Trump medication and Ayatollah Khamenei’s establishment.
He besides pointed retired the home unit successful Tehran, referring to the resurfacing of protests successful the Middle Eastern country.The Donald Trump medication remains acrophobic astir Khamenei-led Iran aft it bombed aggregate atomic sites successful the Islamic Republic nether its hard-handed action, Operation Midnight Hammer, successful the summertime of 2025.In an interrogation with Fox News, US peculiar envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said Iran could theoretically beryllium conscionable a week distant from enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels.
However, helium did not notation that Iran presently has nary entree to the indispensable material, lacks the instrumentality required for enrichment, and has nary progressive weapons programme to enactment specified worldly to operational use.
'Probably a week away'
“They're astir apt a week distant from having industrial-grade bomb-making material. And that's truly dangerous. So they can't person that,” Witkoff said, highlighting the seriousness of Iran’s imaginable to rebuild and stitchery each the different elements of its atomic programme that were bombed successful June 2025.
In June 2025, Israel and the United States carried retired coordinated strikes that they said destroyed Iran’s fleet of astir 20,000 atomic centrifuges, dismantled its multifaceted weaponisation programme, and severely damaged its 3 main atomic sites on with dozens of smaller facilities. The attacks besides reportedly killed respective starring atomic scientists and collapsed parts of cardinal installations, making it hard for the Islamic Republic to entree its existing stockpile of enriched uranium.
June 2025 strikes & shrinking atomic window
Before the June 2025 strikes, Iran was believed to beryllium astir a week distant from weaponising its uranium, should it person chosen to bash so. It was past estimated that Tehran would request different 3 to six months to integrate the worldly into a rocket strategy and assemble the indispensable components for a atomic weapon.That model was considered highly narrow, having shrunk rapidly from an earlier estimation of 2 years -- prompting concerns wrong Israeli quality that it mightiness not observe the precise infinitesimal Iran crossed the atomic threshold if enactment was delayed.
US and Israel appraisal connected Iran’s atomic timeline
Currently, the US and its adjacent state Israel judge Tehran is astatine slightest 2 years distant from becoming a imaginable atomic power, a origin that continues to occupation the Benjamin Netanyahu-led authorities successful Tel Aviv, arsenic good arsenic Washington nether President Trump’s stated resoluteness to curb the atomic ambitions of the Khamenei rule.
Focus connected uranium enrichment and US reddish lines
However, Witkoff appeared to beryllium stressing that Iran has antecedently travel precise adjacent to producing weapons-grade uranium.
He suggested this is wherefore the Trump medication does not privation Iran to beryllium allowed to enrich uranium successful the future, arsenic Washington lays retired its broader lawsuit amid rising tensions with Tehran.In the interview, Witkoff said Trump was not precisely upset astir Iran’s refusal to scope a deal, but alternatively much “curious.”"I don't privation to usage the connection frustrated," helium stated, offering a uncommon glimpse into Trump's decision-making process connected the issue."It's curious. He's funny arsenic to wherefore they haven't capitulated ... nether this benignant of pressure, with the magnitude of oversea power, naval powerfulness that we person implicit there."Witkoff repeated Trump’s earlier request of “zero enrichment” by Iran nether immoderate aboriginal agreement. "There person been immoderate precise hard reddish lines drawn," helium said. However, reports suggest that Trump is considering an Iranian connection that would let constricted oregon “token” uranium enrichment.According to the report, the Trump medication whitethorn judge a constricted compromise, arsenic agelong arsenic it tin beryllium verified that immoderate uranium enrichment is strictly for civilian usage and cannot beryllium utilized arsenic a measurement toward processing atomic weapons.
Domestic unit successful Iran and Pahlavi factor
Witkoff besides pointed to increasing home unit wrong Iran arsenic an important origin successful US decision-making. Protests returned to the streets connected Saturday, with students from respective universities crossed the state demonstrating against the Islamic regime.Speaking astir the exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi and his imaginable relation successful Iran’s future, Witkoff said Pahlavi "cares astir his country," but added that the country’s aboriginal would yet beryllium connected "President Trump's policies, not Pahlavi's policies," noting that Trump "is funny successful proceeding everyone's views."
