Witkoff: Iran Claims It Could Build 11 Nuclear Bombs

Iranian officials told the U.S. delegation during talks that they are capable of building 11 nuclear bombs.

U.S. President’s Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff stated this in an interview with Fox News.

“At the first meeting, both Iranian negotiators openly stated that they possess 460 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% and understand that this amount could be used to produce 11 nuclear bombs. That was the basis of their initial negotiating position,” Witkoff said.

According to him, the Iranians were “proud” that they had managed to bypass all types of monitoring protocols to reach that level of uranium enrichment.

“They manufacture their own centrifuges for uranium enrichment. That makes them almost impossible to stop. They have an unlimited supply of this material,” the official added.

Before the start of the U.S. and Israeli military operation against Iran on February 28, 2026, Washington and Tehran held several rounds of talks regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

The sides failed to reach any agreement, although Oman, acting as a mediator, reported “significant progress” and said that Tehran had agreed not to accumulate enriched uranium.

In January, Iran started strengthening the protection of its nuclear facility in Isfahan amid the threat of a potential U.S. strike.

On February 28, Israel launched an attack on Iran’s capital, Tehran. Following this, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the launch of a “major military operation” by American forces against Iran.

The stated aim of the military operation is the “destruction of Iran’s missile industry and fleet,” as well as “ensuring that the region and the world cannot be destabilized.”

On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had died. This information was later confirmed by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

On March 2, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the next phase of the military operation against Iran would be even more devastating.