US energy secretary warns Iran is 'frighteningly close' to nuclear weapon
The US energy secretary told senators Iran is weeks away from enriching uranium to weapons-grade level. The remarks came amid the ongoing US-Iran war and parallel diplomatic efforts to reach a deal
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned lawmakers Wednesday that Iran is "frighteningly close" to constructing a nuclear weapon, saying the country is "a small number of weeks" away from enriching one ton of its uranium to weapons-grade levels. Wright made the remarks before the Senate Armed Services Committee nearly three months after the United States initially launched its military operations against Iran in a campaign dubbed Operation Epic Fury.
Asked by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal about Iran's additional 11 tons of uranium, Wright said enrichment levels in those stockpiles reach up to 60%, with Tehran also holding "a lot" of uranium enriched to 20%, which he called "very concerning." Uranium must be enriched to approximately 90% to be considered weapons-grade. "There's still a weaponization process that happens after that, but they're quite close to constructing nuclear weapons," Wright told the panel.
When pressed by Blumenthal on whether Trump would need to pursue all of Iran's uranium stockpiles, Wright said, "I think that's the wise strategy. Yes, to have a safe world, we need to end their nuclear program." The Trump administration has repeatedly cited Iran's enriched uranium stockpiles as part of its rationale for the war.
Wright explained that once uranium reaches 60% purity, it is "way more than 90% of the way there" in terms of the enrichment process required to reach weapons-grade material. While speaking to Military Times, Harvard Professor Matthew Bunn said that Iran retains enough highly enriched uranium to produce more than a dozen nuclear bombs.
Iranian parliament spokesman Ibrahim Rezaei warned last night that "there may be new confrontations with the United States," threatening to raise enrichment to 90% if pressure continues. "We have no nuclear negotiations with America," he said. US Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, said he believes progress is being made toward a deal, which Trump has said must include Iran surrendering its enriched uranium.