Hegseth says Iran may be moving toward a potential nuclear weapon

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday that Iran appeared to be pursuing a potential nuclear weapon.

Hegseth was asked by Senator Lindsay Graham, "Mr. Secretary, have the Iranians been trying to build a nuke?"

"There are plenty of indications that they have been moving their way towards something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon," he replied.

Graham later added: "Is there a whole lot of difference between a nuclear weapon in the hands of al Qaeda and the Ayatollah in Iran? I don't think so. They just have a different religious reason to do it."

“If a leader is to be chosen after Mr. Khamenei, which will be the case because that’s the law now, I would personally prefer it to be Mojtaba,” she said in a YouTube interview with Abdi Media.

Though she acknowledged his lack of public legitimacy, Hashemi argued that Mojtaba is young, potentially flexible, and better placed than others to push reforms—drawing comparisons to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and his top-down modernization drive.

The idea of Mojtaba succeeding his father has long circulated in conservative circles, often raised by hardliners or figures close to the security apparatus. But hearing it from Hashemi—who is outspokenly secular, reformist, and opposed to clerical rule—has taken many by surprise, triggering fierce debate across the political spectrum.

When asked to choose between Mojtaba Khamenei and exiled prince Reza Pahlavi as a future leader, she declined, saying that decision belongs to the Iranian people and that she advocates a secular government and social democracy.

Her refusal to endorse Pahlavi sparked backlash from some of his supporters on social media, who accused Hashemi of drawing false equivalence between the clerical establishment and the monarchy.

The obscure ‘heir’

Mojtaba Khamenei remains an elusive figure to most Iranians. He has never occupied a formal political role, and little is publicly known about his views.

In September 2024, he unexpectedly suspended his online khārij (advanced jurisprudence) classes, ending a 13-year teaching stint attended by a few hundred students. He claimed the decision had no political motive and said he had not informed his father in advance, but the move nonetheless fueled speculation about his future ambitions.

On the streets, opposition to hereditary succession has been vocal and sustained. Protesters have repeatedly chanted slogans such as “Mojtaba, may you die before becoming Leader,” turning his name into a symbol of unease over dynastic power in a system that claims to reject monarchy.

Still, the idea of him succeeding his 86-year-old father is floated by Tehran’s commentariat from time to time, with frequent references to Mohammed bin Salman.

One vocal advocate of the idea is Abdolreza Davari, a former adviser to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly called for an “authoritarian development model” centered on Khamenei’s son.

In interviews and social media posts, Davari has argued that such a model could bridge Iran’s generational divide, revive the economy, and offer limited social liberalization without upending the political order.

But the vision he outlines is deeply polarizing—and widely seen as implausible by critics.

“Is it really possible for someone who has never given a speech, never held public office, and is largely unknown to suddenly become the leader of a nation?” one user, @Mhd1889, posted in response to Davari.

The US told the IAEA Board of Governors on Wednesday that Iran’s ongoing nuclear escalation, including enrichment to 60%, has “no credible civilian application” and raises serious proliferation concerns.

"Iran is the only country in the world producing uranium enriched to 60 percent that does not have nuclear weapons, an act that has no valid civilian application," Chargé d’affaires Howard Solomon said.

“Iran now has a clear opportunity to build confidence: by providing the Agency with greater transparency, not less; by implementing the Additional Protocol, not limiting inspections; by ending its production of highly enriched uranium, not accelerating it; by accepting the designation of Agency inspectors, not undermining the Agency’s verification,” he added, warning that continued escalation would only deepen mistrust.

"This path forward starts with Iran ceasing its escalatory nuclear activities, fulfilling its safeguards obligations, and allowing the Agency to provide assurance that its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful. Continuing to move in the opposite direction will only move Iran further from its goals."

“They seem to be delaying, and I think that’s a shame, but I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago,” Trump said in an interview released Wednesday on Pod Force One, a podcast hosted by New York Post columnist Miranda Devine.

“Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made.”

Despite the growing pessimism, Trump stressed that Iran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear bomb. “If they don’t make a deal, they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon, too. So it’s not going to matter from that standpoint.”

“But it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying — it’s so much nicer to do it,” Trump added. “But I don’t think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal. I think they would make a mistake, but we’ll see. I guess time will tell.”

In March, Trump threatened to bomb Iran if a new deal was not reached within a deadline which he did not state publicly.

His latest comments come amid a stalled diplomatic effort led by his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who has held five rounds of indirect talks with Iranian representatives for the past few months without significant progress.

Witkoff has previously suggested allowing limited uranium enrichment for civilian use, echoing terms from the 2015 nuclear deal brokered under President Barack Obama. Trump withdrew from that agreement in 2018, calling it “deeply flawed.”

However, US officials in both the State Department and White House have maintained a hard line, insisting Iran should not be allowed to enrich uranium at all — even for peaceful purposes.

Asked whether China might be influencing Iran’s reluctance to engage, Trump dismissed the idea. “I just think maybe they don’t want to make a deal. What can I say? And maybe they do. So what does that mean? There’s nothing final.”

Also on Wednesday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that a nuclear deal with the US is within reach, framing Tehran’s opposition to nuclear weapons as a potential basis for agreement.

Araghchi wrote on X that Trump says Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons, adding, “That is actually in line with our own doctrine and could become the main foundation for a deal."

Talks are set to resume Sunday, and Araghchi expressed optimism about a rapid resolution, provided key conditions are met.“An agreement that can ensure the continued peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program is within reach—and could be achieved rapidly.”

Any deal, he added, must preserve Iran’s enrichment capabilities while lifting sanctions: “That mutually beneficial outcome relies on the continuation of Iran's enrichment program, under the full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA), and the effective termination of sanctions.”

In a statement delivered at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna earlier in the day, the European Union warned that Iran’s continued production of highly enriched uranium is pushing the Middle East toward a potential nuclear proliferation crisis.

On Tuesday, the Europe-based opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) released a report estimating Tehran has spent at least $2 trillion on its nuclear program over the past three decades.

Iran’s nuclear program will be a key topic in the next round of US-Russia bilateral talks, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Wednesday.

The talks are set to take place “very soon” in Moscow. The negotiations follow earlier rounds in Turkey and are aimed at addressing deepening tensions and restoring diplomatic channels between Washington and Moscow.

Ryabkov said Russia is prepared to offer practical help to both sides, including the removal of enriched nuclear material from Iran for conversion into reactor fuel.

“We are ready to provide assistance to both Washington and Tehran, not only politically, not only in the form of ideas that could be of use in the negotiation process, but also practically: for example, through the export of excess nuclear material produced by Iran and its subsequent adaptation to the production of fuel for reactors,” he told Russian media.

The fate of Iran’s enrichment program remains the core sticking point: President Trump insists Tehran must not acquire nuclear weapons, while Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ruled out abandoning enrichment.

The Kremlin said last week that President Vladimir Putin had informed Trump by phone of Russia’s readiness to use its ties with Iran to help bridge differences.

Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Alexander Darchiev, confirmed that the third round of talks will be held in Russia and will include discussions on wider Middle East issues, including Iran’s nuclear trajectory.