US warns Iran "frighteningly close" to nuclear weapons

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned on Wednesday, May 13, that Iran is approaching a critical threshold in its nuclear program, telling lawmakers that Tehran is only weeks away from being able to produce weapons-grade uranium in significant quantities.

Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Wright said Iran is “frighteningly close” to constructing nuclear weapons, highlighting the rapid pace of its enrichment activities.

“They are weeks, a small number of weeks away to enrich that to weapons-grade uranium,” Wright told the committee. “There’s still a weaponisation process that happens after that, but they’re quite close to constructing nuclear weapons.”

He added that Iran already possesses uranium enriched to 60%, along with what he described as “a lot of” uranium enriched to 20%, calling the situation “very concerning.”

When asked whether US President Donald Trump would need to target all of Iran’s uranium stockpiles to halt its enrichment efforts, Wright indicated support for such an approach.

“I think that’s the wise strategy,” he said.

“Ultimately, the goal is to prevent future enrichment of uranium as well. Yes, to have a safe world, we need to end their nuclear program,” Wright added.

By Tamilla Hasanova