U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said yesterday that Iran could, in theory, be roughly one week away from enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels, though he did not note that Tehran currently lacks access to its stockpiles, functioning enrichment equipment, or an active weapons program.

Speaking on Fox News’s My View with Lara Trump, Witkoff underscored what he described as the potential danger if Iran were able to restore its nuclear infrastructure.

“They’re probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material. And that’s really dangerous. So they can’t have that,” Witkoff said on Fox News’s My View with host Lara Trump, clearly wanting to highlight the severity of the potential future nuclear issues should Iran rebuild all the other elements of its nuclear program, which were bombed in June 2025.

In June 2025, joint Israeli and American strikes dismantled key components of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The attacks eliminated approximately 20,000 centrifuges, wiped out the country’s complex weaponization apparatus, heavily damaged two of its three primary nuclear facilities, struck numerous smaller sites, and killed many of Iran’s top nuclear scientists. Parts of certain facilities were collapsed, further limiting the regime’s ability to retrieve previously enriched uranium.

Before those operations, intelligence assessments indicated that Iran had reduced its breakout time to about one week if it chose to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels. After that, experts estimated it would have needed an additional three to six months to integrate the material into a missile system and assemble a functional nuclear device.

That compressed timeline had alarmed Israeli officials, particularly as it had narrowed dramatically from an earlier estimate of roughly two years. At that stage, Israeli intelligence agencies concluded they might not detect Iran’s final steps toward a bomb in time if preemptive action were delayed.

Now, Israeli and U.S. officials assess that Iran is at least two years away from producing a nuclear weapon, given the extensive reconstruction required across multiple elements of its program.

Witkoff’s remarks appeared aimed at emphasizing how close Iran once came to weapons-grade enrichment, reinforcing the Trump administration’s position that Tehran should no longer be permitted to enrich uranium under any circumstances. His comments come as Washington continues outlining its broader strategy toward Iran, including the possibility of military action if nuclear activities resume.

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