Iran ‘one week’ from bomb-grade uranium? Protests flare once more in Tehran – prime developments
Iran per week away from producing bomb-grade uranium? Rising tensions in Tehran as soon as once more fear Uncle Sam, as President Donald Trump’s particular envoy to the area, Steve Witkoff, expressed considerations amid escalating strains between the Trump administration and Ayatollah Khamenei’s institution. He additionally identified the home strain in Tehran, referring to the resurfacing of protests within the Center Japanese nation.The Donald Trump administration stays involved about Khamenei-led Iran after it bombed a number of nuclear websites within the Islamic Republic beneath its hard-handed motion, Operation Midnight Hammer, in the summertime of 2025.In an interview with Fox Information, US particular envoy to the Center East Steve Witkoff stated Iran might theoretically be only a week away from enriching uranium to weapons-grade ranges. Nonetheless, he didn’t point out that Iran at the moment has no entry to the mandatory materials, lacks the tools required for enrichment, and has no energetic weapons programme to place such materials to operational use.
‘In all probability per week away’
“They’re in all probability per week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making materials. And that is actually harmful. To allow them to’t have that,” Witkoff stated, highlighting the seriousness of Iran’s potential to rebuild and collect all the opposite components of its nuclear programme that have been bombed in June 2025.In June 2025, Israel and the USA carried out coordinated strikes that they stated destroyed Iran’s fleet of roughly 20,000 nuclear centrifuges, dismantled its multifaceted weaponisation programme, and severely broken its three major nuclear websites together with dozens of smaller services. The assaults additionally reportedly killed a number of main nuclear scientists and collapsed elements of key installations, making it troublesome for the Islamic Republic to entry its present stockpile of enriched uranium.
June 2025 strikes & shrinking nuclear window
Earlier than the June 2025 strikes, Iran was believed to be a few week away from weaponising its uranium, ought to it have chosen to take action. It was then estimated that Tehran would want one other three to 6 months to combine the fabric right into a missile system and assemble the mandatory parts for a nuclear weapon.That window was thought-about extraordinarily slender, having shrunk quickly from an earlier estimate of two years — prompting considerations inside Israeli intelligence that it won’t detect the exact second Iran crossed the nuclear threshold if motion was delayed.
US and Israel evaluation on Iran’s nuclear timeline
At present, the US and its shut ally Israel imagine Tehran is at the very least two years away from changing into a possible nuclear energy, an element that continues to hassle the Benjamin Netanyahu-led authorities in Tel Aviv, in addition to Washington beneath President Trump’s said resolve to curb the nuclear ambitions of the Khamenei rule.
Give attention to uranium enrichment and US pink strains
Nonetheless, Witkoff seemed to be stressing that Iran has beforehand come very near producing weapons-grade uranium. He recommended for this reason the Trump administration doesn’t need Iran to be allowed to complement uranium sooner or later, as Washington lays out its broader case amid rising tensions with Tehran.Within the interview, Witkoff stated Trump was not precisely upset about Iran’s refusal to succeed in a deal, however quite extra “curious.”“I do not need to use the phrase pissed off,” he said, providing a uncommon glimpse into Trump’s decision-making course of on the difficulty.“It is curious. He is curious as to why they have not capitulated … beneath this type of strain, with the quantity of sea energy, naval energy that we have now over there.”Witkoff repeated Trump’s earlier demand of “zero enrichment” by Iran beneath any future settlement. “There have been some very laborious pink strains drawn,” he stated. Nonetheless, studies counsel that Trump is contemplating an Iranian proposal that might enable restricted or “token” uranium enrichment.In line with the report, the Trump administration might settle for a restricted compromise, so long as it may be verified that any uranium enrichment is strictly for civilian use and can’t be used as a step towards creating nuclear weapons.
Home strain in Iran and Pahlavi issue
Witkoff additionally pointed to rising home strain inside Iran as an vital consider US decision-making. Protests returned to the streets on Saturday, with college students from a number of universities throughout the nation demonstrating in opposition to the Islamic regime.Talking in regards to the exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi and his attainable function in Iran’s future, Witkoff stated Pahlavi “cares about his nation,” however added that the nation’s future would finally depend upon “President Trump’s insurance policies, not Pahlavi’s insurance policies,” noting that Trump “is thinking about listening to everybody’s views.”