Washington is confident that the strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities deprived Tehran of the ability to enrich uranium, said the special envoy of US President Donald Trump, Stephen Witkoff.
“Our goal was to destroy Iran's ability to enrich uranium. And we did. Even if they hid nuclear materials, it will be absolutely impossible for them to turn them into a weapon because we destroyed the conversion plant in Isfahan“, he said in an interview with Fox News.
He called “ridiculous“ information that had previously appeared in the media that US intelligence did not believe that the US had succeeded in completely destroying key components of Iran's nuclear program. “It would be almost impossible for them to restore the nuclear program. In my opinion and in the opinion of many experts, it could take years,“ the official added.
“I have seen all the damage assessment reports. There were three sites in Iran that we were concerned about. The uranium conversion facility in Isfahan was completely destroyed. There were two other nuclear reactors in Natanz, one underground and one above ground. We know that we destroyed them. As for the uranium enrichment reactor in Fordow, we dropped 12 bunker-busting bombs on it. There is no doubt that it was destroyed,“ Witkoff is convinced.
“The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is involved in discussions about a possible deal on Iran's nuclear program,“ the US President's special envoy added.
“I speak to Rafael Grossi many times a day. And he agrees with the assessments that I have made about eliminating Iran's ability to enrich uranium,“ Witkoff replied.
“We are also negotiating with Tehran. I think these negotiations are promising,“ said the US leader's special envoy.
As CNN reported, citing its sources, the US intelligence community believed that the US strikes against Iran did not destroy the main components of Tehran's nuclear program. The attack, according to preliminary U.S. intelligence assessments, only delayed Iran's acquisition of a nuclear bomb. According to White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt, the assessment "was classified, but was nevertheless leaked to CNN by an anonymous loser" in the intelligence community. She called the leak "a blatant attempt to humiliate Trump."