Iran bomb threat: Witkoff says industrial-grade material ‘a week away’
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Special Envoy Steve Witkoff warned on Saturday that Iran could be “a week away” from having “industrial-grade bomb-making materials,” raising urgent questions about what President Donald Trump could do next to counter the looming threat.
Regarding Iran’s enrichment level, Witkoff said, “This rate is up to 60%.” “We’re probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making materials.”
Witkoff said in “My Perspective on Lara Trump” that the “dangerous” proposal comes despite Trump’s “zero enrichment” red line, which he has accused Iran of violating “well beyond” what the civilian nuclear program requires.
“We can’t have this,” he said. “This is something they have to stick to until they prove they can treat us properly.”
WHILE THE RED LINE DEBATE REFLECTS OBAMA’S SYRIA MOMENT, TRUMP WARNES IRAN, POSTS STRIKE.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff speaks during a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump in the White House Cabinet Room in Washington, DC, on January 29. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Witkoff told Fox News that the president was “wondering” why Iran hasn’t changed course despite increasing U.S. pressure in the region.
“Why didn’t they come to us and say, ‘We claim that we don’t want weapons’ when we had so much naval power there?”
But external pressures are only part of the picture. The Islamic regime faces additional pressures from its own civilians, leading to unrest and state-directed aggression against protesters.
TRUMP GIVES IRAN A 10-DAY ULTIMATE, BUT SIGNAL SPEECHES OF EXPERTS MAY BUY TIME FOR A STRIKE
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks after casting his vote for the presidential runoff elections to be held in Tehran, Iran, on July 5, 2024. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who has discussed the proposed regime change in Iran many times, has previously expressed his belief in Trump’s ability and willingness to help topple the regime.
Pahlavi outlined a number of measures the United States could take to weaken the Ayatollah; These include neutralizing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), cracking down on “ghost tankers” secretly transporting sanctioned oil and financing the regime, deporting diplomats or holding them accountable for their criminal behavior, freezing the assets of oligarchs, supporting protesters with internet access, and calling for the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Iran.
Witkoff told Lara Trump that he met with Pahlavi on the president’s instructions.
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“I think he’s strong for his country, he cares about his country, but this will be about President Trump’s policies, not Mr. Pahlavi’s policies,” he said.
“I think the president is interested in hearing everyone’s views. He has no authorial pride [which] “Maybe that’s the best way to put it, and I have great respect for that because he’s open to new ideas and new ways of thinking.”
Fox News’ Max Bacall contributed to this report.
