US President Donald Trump has ramped up threats against Tehran, cautioning that time was “running out” for a nuclear agreement
Western intelligence services have found no signs that Iran is enriching uranium to produce “bomb-grade material,” the New York Times reported, citing sources. Though activity has been spotted at nuclear facilities—including those damaged in last year’s strikes—no high-level enrichment is ongoing, the report states.
Last summer, the US and Israel conducted coordinated strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, justifying the operation as stopping Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons—a goal Iran rejects. The attacks aimed at the Fordow and Natanz enrichment plants and the Isfahan research center.
In its Thursday-published report, the NYT said uranium buried at the hit sites—material closest to weapons-grade purity—remains where it was. Activity at the sites seems restricted to digging intended to build more secure facilities. No new nuclear facilities have been found, though minor activity has been noted at two unfinished sites near Natanz and Isfahan, the paper said.
Trump asserted that the strikes “obliterated” Iran’s enrichment capabilities, yet the newly released US National Defense Strategy states they only “significantly degraded” the program. Sources told the NYT that Iran could restart centrifuges within two months and achieve bomb-grade enrichment in as long as a year once it recovers its buried fuel.
Trump has stepped up threats against Iran this week, moving from criticizing its handling of anti-government protests—which Tehran describes as a foreign-backed insurrection—to issuing nuclear ultimatums. On Wednesday, he declared a “massive armada” was sailing toward Iran, prepared to use “violence” unless Tehran negotiates a nuclear deal. On Friday, Trump stated he had imposed a deadline for the talks, issuing a cryptic warning: “If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens.”
Iran reacted defiantly, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying Tehran was “ready for war” and would only consider US negotiation proposals if the military threat was lifted.
“Negotiations cannot occur under the shadow of threats,” he said in Istanbul on Friday during a visit to explore a potential mediation effort.
Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday, reportedly to discuss Trump’s threats.
Moscow has called on the US to refrain from military action in Iran and pursue negotiations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned this week that “any forceful actions can only create chaos in the region,” while Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia was prepared to help ease tensions and facilitate discussions.