Former Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said Friday that Iran’s reported boasts about its nuclear capabilities likely helped push the United States toward a more forceful response.
He said that the regime’s rhetoric has now exposed what he described as a dangerous bluff.
Speaking on Newsmax TV’s "The Big Take with Ed Henry," Wilkie reacted to comments from U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who said Iranian negotiators had openly bragged during talks that the country possessed enough enriched uranium to produce 11 nuclear bombs within two weeks.
"Well, after the dust settles, the teams will go in," Wilkie said, referring to technical and verification groups that could inspect Iran’s facilities.
"The teams that are probably waiting in Kuwait, the Emirates, Jordan, even here in the United States."
Wilkie said Iran has a long pattern of exaggerated claims about its military successes and nuclear capabilities, pointing to recent statements by the regime that he said were meant to project strength to its domestic audience.
"Let’s talk about what Iran does, a lot of bombast," he said. "They told their people a few days ago that they’d hit and crippled the USS Abraham Lincoln with missile strikes."
Wilkie dismissed that claim as propaganda, suggesting it was an attempt by Iranian leaders to reassure their population after suffering significant losses.
"I think what they were doing was whistling past the grave," he said.
Wilkie argued that Iranian nuclear infrastructure may already have been heavily degraded by previous military operations carried out by the United States and Israel.
"There couldn’t have been too much left of their nuclear production facilities after the United States and Israel hit them last year," he said.
According to Wilkie, the regime’s willingness to boast about its potential nuclear capacity during negotiations may have hardened the U.S. response.
"Now their bluff has been called and the president has had enough," he said.
Wilkie framed the situation as part of a broader effort to neutralize Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its influence in the region.
"It’s time to obliterate Iran’s ability not only to threaten the world, but to terrorize its own people," he said. "And that’s what’s going on here."
His remarks came amid heightened tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear program and growing debate in Washington over how aggressively the United States should confront Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and regional activities.
Witkoff told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday that Iranian negotiators informed him and former White House adviser Jared Kushner before the strikes that Tehran possessed roughly 460 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%.
Witkoff said the stockpile could have been further enriched to the weapons-grade level of about 90% within roughly a week to 10 days.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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