Iran Said It Possesses Enough Uranium For 11 Nukes: Report
U.S. negotiations with Iran broke down after Tehran’s negotiators openly stated their intention to enrich uranium to levels suitable for producing nuclear weapons, according to Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy.
Witkoff recounted that the American delegation was taken aback by this declaration, causing him and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to exchange uneasy glances as the Iranian officials clarified their stance.
“The Iranians made it clear from the start that they believe they have an undeniable right to enrich all the uranium they possess,” Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News. “That was how they opened the talks.”
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U.S. negotiators immediately pushed back, with Witkoff stating that Washington believed it had the right to completely shut down Iran’s enrichment activities. Instead of backing down, Iranian officials reinforced their position.
“Jared and I just looked at each other and thought, ‘Is this really happening?’” Witkoff said.
The breakdown became inevitable when Tehran rejected a U.S. proposal that would have frozen enrichment for a decade. Under the plan, the United States offered to supply Iran with nuclear fuel at its expense.
“That was the moment we understood they had no intention of doing anything other than enriching uranium for nuclear weapons,” Witkoff said.
Iranian negotiators acknowledged the size of their nuclear stockpile during the discussions, Witkoff said. Two officials confirmed that they possessed approximately 460 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent.
Witkoff noted that the Iranians acknowledged the potential conversion of this material into as many as 11 nuclear bombs.
“They weren’t hiding it. They were proud,” he said, noting further that Iranian negotiators also boasted about being able to evade international monitoring systems as the country was enlarging its stockpile.
Tensions escalated sharply during a meeting last Thursday in Geneva when Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shouted after the American delegation reiterated its demand for a ten-year halt to enrichment, according to NBC News.
Witkoff said he responded calmly to the outburst. “If you prefer, I can leave,” he told Araghchi.
Following the collapse of the talks, the U.S. team provided President Trump with an update on the situation. A senior administration official indicated that the president was taken aback by the Iranian delegation’s candid insistence on enrichment. Witkoff noted that the negotiations demonstrated Tehran’s lack of interest in reaching a meaningful compromise.
“President Trump sent us to see if Iran was serious,” he said. “But by the second meeting, it was clear a deal was impossible. We came to the third meeting in good faith, and they wanted us to project optimism. There was nothing optimistic about it.”
Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance is doubling down on his message that there is “no chance” the United States will become entangled in a prolonged Middle East war if President Donald Trump authorizes additional military action against Iran.
Speaking aboard Air Force Two on Thursday, Vance stressed that the White House is not contemplating a protracted “nation-building” scenario in Iran with thousands of U.S. military “boots on the ground.”
“The idea that we’re going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight—there is no chance that will happen,” Vance told The Washington Post.
The United States has long maintained that enrichment inside Iran presents a potential pathway to nuclear weapons capability and has stated unequivocally that Tehran cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
On social media following an appearance on “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Monday, Vance reiterated the administration’s position.
“President Trump will not get the United States into a years-long conflict with no clear objective,” Vance wrote. “Iran can never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. That is the goal of this operation, and President Trump will see it through to completion.”
Thune Erupts in Rare Anger, Blasts Dems for ‘Holding Government Hostage’ Amid Shutdown
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), typically known for his calm, measured demeanor, erupted in frustration on the Senate floor Wednesday, accusing Democrats of prolonging the government shutdown and using social welfare programs as political leverage.
Thune’s rare display of anger came during a heated exchange over legislation to temporarily fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food aid to low-income families.
Democrats, led by Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), pushed for a standalone bill to keep SNAP benefits flowing as the shutdown approached its 30th day.
Thune fired back, noting that Republicans had already voted 13 times to reopen the government, only to be blocked by Senate Democrats.
“Let me just point out, if I might, that we are 29 days into a Democrat shutdown,” Thune said, his voice rising. “SNAP recipients shouldn’t go without food. People should be getting paid in this country. And we’ve tried to do that 13 times. You voted no 13 times.”
As Democrats pressed for an immediate vote, Thune grew visibly exasperated, turning toward the Democratic side of the chamber.
“You all just figured out, 29 days in, that, oh, there might be some consequences? There are people who’ll run out of money? Yeah, we’re 29 days in,” he said, slapping the lectern for emphasis. “At some point, the government runs out of money. My aching back. You finally realize this thing has consequences.”
The exchange underscored the deepening frustration among Senate Republicans, who argue that Democrats are deliberately stalling a reopening of the government to extract concessions on unrelated spending priorities, including renewed subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
“This isn’t a political game,” Thune said. “These are real people’s lives that we’re talking about.”
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The impasse comes as millions of SNAP recipients face the prospect of missing benefits at the end of the month.
Both parties have introduced competing bills to address the program’s funding lapse. Luján’s Democratic-backed measure focuses solely on SNAP, while Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) has proposed a broader Republican bill that includes funding for both food aid and military pay.
Thune, however, dismissed both standalone efforts as distractions from the larger issue — Democrats’ refusal to approve a continuing resolution that would reopen the government in full.
“We don’t need one-off fixes,” Thune told reporters after his floor speech.
“We need to pass a clean, bipartisan bill and get people back to work.”
Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), have insisted they will not back the GOP’s proposed continuing resolution unless it includes a long-term extension of healthcare subsidies. Republicans have accused them of holding the government “hostage” to force through a partisan health care agenda.
Behind the scenes, there are signs of movement. Thune told reporters earlier Wednesday that bipartisan talks had “ticked up significantly” and that discussions with key Democrats were “constructive.” Asked when he would personally step into negotiations, Thune replied, “It will happen pretty soon.”
Still, Thune’s eruption on the floor reflects mounting impatience within the GOP. Normally even-tempered, the senator apologized afterward for his outburst but said Democrats’ tactics had left him no choice.
“Sorry, I channeled a little bit of anger there,” he told reporters. “But it’s a high level of frustration. They realize this is a losing argument. They’re trying to buy time — and every day they delay makes things worse.”
The government shutdown, now nearing its fifth week, has furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers and frozen pay for millions more. Essential programs such as food assistance and housing vouchers are operating on borrowed funds.
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The White House has also applied pressure, with President Donald Trump declaring earlier this week that “Schumer and Senate Democrats are holding the entire government hostage.”
“You can call it the Schumer shutdown or the Democrats’ shutdown,” Trump said during a Rose Garden event on Tuesday. “They’re doing the wrong thing, and the public knows it.”
