The United States launched a “major combat operation” against Iran on Saturday — striking multiple locations and targeting top government leaders. President Donald Trump claimed Tehran had continued developing its nuclear program with plans to create missiles capable of reaching the US. He urged the Iranian people to “take over” the government once the US-Israel strikes and ceased.

“It has always been the policy of the United States that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. That is why in Operation Midnight Hammer last June, we obliterated the regime’s nuclear program at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. After that attack, we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons, and we sought repeatedly to make a deal,” Trump claimed during an 8-minute video posted on Truth Social.

The POTUS claimed that Tehran had “rejected every opportunity to renounce its nuclear ambitions” — a key reason behind the “preemptive strikes” launched on Saturday. Trump claimed the Ayatollah-led regime had attempted to rebuild its nuclear program and continue developing long-range missiles that could threaten Europe and soon reach the United States.

Does Iran have nuclear weapons?

There is no concrete evidence to suggest that Iran possesses nuclear weapons — despite having a massive stockpile of enriched uranium. According to a recent update from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Tehran maintains a vast reserve of 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity.

The figure is a short technical step away from the weapons-grade 90% level. IAEA director general Rafael Grossi recently told AP News that the publicly known quantity would allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs if it decided to weaponise the nuclear program.

A British defence magazine claimed during the Iran-Iraq war in 1884 that Tehran was “engaged in the production of an atomic bomb” that was likely to be ready within two years. The State Department appeared to agree — opining that it would take “at least two to three years” for Iran to complete the necessary facilities. Multiple leaders including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have outlined similar deadlines over the ensuing decades.

The 90s saw US and Israeli leaders repeatedly predicting an Iranian nuclear bomb nuclear bomb “within three to five years”. The timeline transitioned into “months” in the 2000s and gradually to “days” and “weeks” in the past few years. But there has been no tangible evidence that Iran was working on bombs.

Concern about a nuclear attack from Iran stems from the meagre ‘breakout time’ required for the country to build such a weapon. US Envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News earlier this week that Tehran was a ‘week away’ from industrial-grade material for a nuclear bomb.

“They’re probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material. And that’s really dangerous. So they can’t have that,” Witkoff asserted.

The statement came mere months after President Trump declared that Operation Midnight Hammer had “completely and totally obliterated” Iranian nuclear facilities. Reports from the IAEA and independent analysts also suggest that much of its massive stockpile has been buried under rubble during the 2025 strikes. Around 20,000 centrifuges were also destroyed during the attack.