Iranian officials told their American counterparts during tense talks last month that the Islamic Republic has enough enriched fuel to build 11 nuclear bombs, President Trump’s special envoy said Monday night.
“Both Iranian negotiators told us directly, you know, no shame, that they control 460 kilograms of 60% [enriched uranium],” Steve Witkoff told Fox News host Sean Hannity, “and they know that would make 11 nuclear bombs, and that was the beginning of their negotiating position.”
Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner have engaged in three rounds of informal talks beginning in Oman on Feb. 6 and concluded in Geneva, Switzerland Feb. 26 in what was a last-ditch effort to prevent US military action against Iran.
“Jared and I were open with the Iranian negotiators telling us that they had an indisputable right to enrich all of their nuclear fuel that they had. They were so open,” Witkoff recounted.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) fires a Tomahawk surface-to-surface attack missile in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026. US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images
“Then we replied that the president feels that we have an undeniable right to stop you dead in your tracks,” he continued.
“Then they went on to say that beyond the undeniable right of enrichment, that was going to be their start. And Jared and I just looked at each other and said, ‘Well, we’ve really got it now.’
Witkoff, 68, made international headlines ahead of the Geneva talks when he said Iran was “about a week away from having the materials to build industrial bombs.”
The special envoy expanded on those comments on Monday: “I know this: They have 10,000, almost, kilograms of fissile material. They have an infinite amount of it.”
“60% of the stuff, Sean, can be brought to 90%, which is weapon grade, in about a week, maybe 10 days out. 20% can be brought to weapon grade within three to four weeks.”
“They were proud of it,” Witkoff continued. “They were proud that they bypassed all kinds of oversight processes to get to the point where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs.”
Witkoff also said that he and Kushner, on behalf of the US, promised to provide Iran with nuclear fuel for the next decade under the condition that it could not be used for any weapons program.
“They rejected that, which told us at the time that they didn’t have – the idea of doing something other than keeping enrichment for the purpose of arming.”
