Tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme have intensified after US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, warned that Iran could be as little as a week away from producing weapons-grade nuclear material, highlighting growing concerns in Washington about Tehran’s uranium enrichment activities.
Speaking in a television interview, Witkoff said Iran has enriched uranium to around 60 percent purity — significantly higher than levels required for civilian nuclear energy — and claimed that the country may soon possess sufficient material suitable for bomb production. He described the situation as dangerous, arguing that such enrichment levels shorten the timeline needed to produce weapons-grade fissile material if Iran chose to pursue nuclear weapons.
Witkoff also said President Trump was questioning why Iran had not made concessions despite increased US military pressure in the region, including expanded naval and air deployments. According to him, Washington believes it holds overwhelming strategic leverage but has struggled to secure commitments from Tehran limiting its nuclear programme.
The comments come as diplomatic efforts continue alongside rising military tensions. Indirect negotiations between US and Iranian representatives resumed recently in Oman and later in Geneva, but officials from both sides have acknowledged that major disagreements remain. The central dispute revolves around uranium enrichment and sanctions relief.
The United States is pressing Iran to surrender its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium and accept stricter limits on enrichment activities, arguing that the material could potentially be diverted for nuclear weapons development. Iran, however, maintains that its nuclear programme is strictly peaceful and insists that enrichment is its sovereign right under international agreements. Tehran has rejected demands to halt enrichment entirely.
Iranian officials have indicated willingness to consider limited constraints — such as lowering enrichment purity or exporting portions of enriched uranium — if economic sanctions are eased in phases. However, Tehran has refused to link nuclear negotiations to its ballistic missile programme or regional alliances, issues Washington has sought to address.
Iran’s leadership has also dismissed US military pressure as ineffective. President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country would not yield to coercion and urged national unity in response to external threats. Iranian authorities have warned that any military strike would trigger retaliation against US bases and interests across the region.
Witkoff additionally confirmed meeting exiled Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi at Trump’s direction. Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last monarch, has advocated stronger US action against Iran’s current leadership and has argued that increased pressure could accelerate political change inside the country.
The situation underscores widening geopolitical tensions as negotiations continue amid parallel military signalling, with both sides maintaining firm positions on enrichment rights, sanctions, and regional security concerns.
