Trump's envoy claims Iran has uranium for 11 nuclear bombs

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has claimed that Iran holds 460 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, or enough to produce 11 nuclear weapons. Witkoff said Iranian negotiators had told him they possessed significant reserves of enriched uranium. “Of course, we told them that the president believes we have an absolute right to stop you,” he added. He said 60% uranium could be weaponised within about a week, while 20% uranium would require three to four weeks. “They are producing their own centrifuges to enrich this material,” he said. “So, there is virtually nothing that can stop them. They have endless supplies,” he continued. The remarks come amid a large-scale military operation dubbed Epic Fury, launched by the US and Israel since Saturday to target facilities and capabilities tied to Iran’s nuclear programme. To date, the US government has not presented public evidence confirming the existence or control of such material. Witkoff’s claim also diverges from a Pentagon statement in July 2025, in which Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June had hampered Teheran’s ability to develop a weapon for almost two years. “Not only enriched uranium or centrifuges, but the components needed to make a bomb were also destroyed,” he said. Now, senior US officials say a consideration driving the latest operation is Iran’s ability to rebuild components previously destroyed, including centrifuges. Officials say most enriched uranium is believed to remain at Isfahan, with the remainder at Natanz and Fordo. “The extraction and concealment process can take a long time and be complex,” one official said. Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told ABC News programme This Week that an attack on his country is unwarranted and cannot be justified. He said talks with the US had previously been constructive. “The deal is in sight, and we left Geneva content with the understanding that we could reach an agreement at the next meeting,” he said. In two public briefings, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine did not detail the fate of Iran’s nuclear material after the strike. Trump himself, in several speeches, has not provided details on the uranium’s status. Several Democratic lawmakers have called for further explanation. In a letter to the administration, five House members, including Gregory Meeks and Adam Smith, asked, “Who currently controls Iran’s nuclear facilities and material, and what assurances are in place to prevent diversion, loss of control, or proliferation?” “We go back without answers. We go back without full transparency. We go back trying to avoid Congress,” Meeks said. Another Democrat, Pramila Jayapal, said there was no additional information about the threat being posed. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson defended the administration’s approach, saying, “This is actually a very simple matter. It concerns ballistic missiles. That’s what Iran is doing, and they are doing it at a pace and scale that exceed our regional allies’ ability to respond appropriately.” He added that the situation posed a serious and urgent threat. Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said, based on the latest satellite imagery, it could confirm new damage to the underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) entrance building. However, the IAEA stressed there were no radiological consequences expected and no additional damage detected to the FEP itself, which was severely damaged in the June clashes. In June 2025, the US and Israel previously launched Operation Midnight Hammer targeting Natanz, Fordo, and Isfahan. At the time, Trump said the operation had destroyed the regime’s main uranium enrichment site. More recently, the Israel Defence Forces announced an attack on a complex near Tehran connected to Iran’s nuclear capability, claiming to have destroyed key components and adding to a sequence of actions during Operation Rising Lion aimed at neutralising Iran’s nuclear threat. Iran’s retaliatory strikes were reported to have damaged several US facilities in the Middle East, with total losses estimated at nearly US$2 billion. Diplomatic tensions intensified after Spain openly rejected the US-Israel strike on Iran and challenged President Trump’s trade threats. An air strike by the IDF targeted a building linked to the Assembly of Experts in Qom days after confirmation of Ayatollah Khamenei’s death.