Weitkof Warns: Iran a Week Away from the "Red Line"

SadaNews - On Sunday, U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Weitkof, warned that Iran is a week away from acquiring the necessary materials to produce a nuclear bomb, stressing that this represents a red line for the United States.

In remarks to Fox News, Weitkof stated that President Trump feels both curious and frustrated regarding Iran's lack of response to the United States' demands despite the military pressures exerted on it.

He said: "I think the president has given all his directives regarding negotiations and has also set the red lines. We must recover the enriched materials. They have claimed that everything is related to their civilian program. Meanwhile, they are conducting enrichment operations much greater than what's required for a civilian program."

He added, "As for the nuclear programs, the enrichment level has reached 60 percent. They might be a week away from possessing materials to make nuclear bombs, which is dangerous. Therefore, we must hold firm on this matter until they prove otherwise."

Weitkof indicated that the U.S. administration expects Tehran to issue an official statement confirming that it is not seeking to possess nuclear weapons, along with outlining practical steps to substantiate this, saying it is difficult to push Iran into this position despite the "magnitude of naval power" deployed in the region.

In this context, the channel reported that a U.S. official anticipated that Iran would present a written proposal in the coming days, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that his country would soon present a draft counterproposal in an attempt to advance the negotiation process.