Iran's Nuclear Program; What Does Witkoff Mean by 'Missile' and 'Bomb Trigger'?

In the days leading up to the first round of talks in Oman, and now in the days following, Iran and the United States have hardly mentioned the details of their demands. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants nothing less than Iran's inability to acquire nuclear weapons. This approach has been criticized by opponents of dialogue with Tehran, who argue that such a goal is insufficient and that Washington should address other aspects of Iran's behavior, including Tehran's missile program, support for proxy groups in the Middle East, and even human rights violations. However, Tehran insists that it is only prepared to discuss its nuclear program and assure its 'peaceful' objectives, with several officials emphasizing that Iran does not intend to produce nuclear weapons in the days leading up to the first meeting in Oman. Despite the lack of information leaked about the details of the Muscat talks, Steve Witkoff, the U.S. President's envoy for Middle East affairs, who is leading the negotiations with Iran, opened a window into these discussions on April 14, stating that the 'positive and constructive' engagement with the Iranian side focuses on two issues: verifying Iran's enrichment program, which 'does not need to exceed 3.67 percent,' and 'verification regarding weapon construction.' According to him, this topic 'includes missiles, the types of stored missiles, and the bomb trigger.' Witkoff: Agreement with Iran will revolve around verification of enrichment and armaments. Fabian Hinz, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Berlin, believes that Witkoff's reference 'likely pertains to missiles that could theoretically carry nuclear weapons,' which can also carry conventional warheads. Tehran has always regarded negotiations over its missile program as a 'red line.' It is unclear what Witkoff means when he talks about missiles and their storage; whether this issue was raised in the first round of interactions between the two sides is also uncertain. Tehran has not yet responded to these statements, but Fabian Hinz told Radio Farda, 'The only solution to this issue may be to negotiate about potential future missile advancements with longer ranges, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles that could reach the U.S.' Although Iran has always denied attempts to produce nuclear weapons, Western countries accuse Tehran of using its space activities as a cover for developing its missile program and potential military use. Among the efforts and advancements Iran has made in this area is the construction of engines using solid fuel, which has increased the projectile's lightness, range, and speed. However, another part of Witkoff's remarks on Fox News that raised questions is his reference to 'the bomb trigger' in relation to verification to prevent the militarization of Iran's nuclear program; a part of the nuclear weapon that effectively makes an atomic explosion possible. However, Witkoff did not provide further explanation on whether his reference is to a physical trigger or to research that Iran is accused of conducting about 22 years ago. This issue is part of the controversial file of 'the potentially military aspect of Iran's nuclear program' or 'PMD,' which was closed at the International Atomic Energy Agency before the implementation of the JCPOA. Both opponents and supporters of the JCPOA acknowledged in discussions with Radio Farda that the closure of this file did not follow a 'technical' process but rather a 'political' one to implement the nuclear agreement. Therefore, from the very beginning of the JCPOA's implementation, the past challenges of Iran's nuclear program and unanswered questions have remained persistent. This challenge was further highlighted a few years later following the theft of Iran's nuclear archive by Israel and its disclosure, leaving the International Atomic Energy Agency with no choice but to question Iran. Some of these questions remain unanswered and are reflected in multiple reports by Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. One of the controversial issues of the 'PMD' file relates to the testing of explosive triggers at the Parchin facility in eastern Tehran. This facility, even after sampling by Agency inspectors, did not end speculation about it. In the military confrontation between Iran and Israel last year, Parchin was among the sites targeted, and several media and monitoring organizations reported that it sustained damage. Today, however, the Agency's questions extend beyond Parchin and include locations in Marivan and Varamin (Torkozabad). With the lack of response to the Agency's questions, Iran's file in this international body has become more complicated and is once again on the brink of the United Nations Security Council. Fabian Hinz told Radio Farda that the mention of the 'bomb trigger' by Witkoff may refer to the past of Iran's nuclear program, whose verification 'may include inspections of sites identified in this regard and interviews with scientists associated with this program,' but 'this is not easy, as Iran essentially must admit that it has lied to its people and the world and had a nuclear weapons program until 2003.' He believes that resolving this issue 'is not impossible, but it is difficult.'