In a stunning example of confirming what we suspected all along, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, addressing Congress, has confirmed that Iran was enriching uranium far beyond the point of any commercial purpose - and has been doing so with the intent of developing a nuclear weapon.
And if they had done so, then it would have resulted in a mushroom cloud over an Israeli or American city.
.@CIADirector: "Iran possesses at least 440kg of uranium enriched to weapons-grade 60% — which doesn't have a civilian use. The only use for that would be the development of nuclear weapons." https://t.co/1JxS1Z4RwV pic.twitter.com/ljH8nfrAER
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 19, 2026
The Director said:
Much have been made by some about a fatwa against the development of nuclear weapons. Notwithstanding the fatwa, what we know, and the intelligence community is in agreement on this, is that Iran possesses at least 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to weapons grade, 60 percent, which doesn't have a civilian use. The only use for that would be the development of nuclear weapons.
In response to a question from Democrat Representative Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), the Director expanded on Iran's intent.
Rep Gottheimer: Is the Iranian regime committed to America's destruction in your opinion?
Director Ratcliffe: Yes.
Rep. Gottheimer: Does the Iranian regime have American blood on its hands since its founding in 1979?
Director Retcliffe: Yes.
Rep. Gottheimer: Has Iran planned assassination attempts against Americans on American soil?
Director Retcliffe: Yes.
There's a lot of "going through the motions" here, wherein the CIA Director is testifying to facts that have been more than amply apparent to anyone conscious and not living under a flat rock in the Mojave since 1979. That's fine; this is, rather vexingly, how things are done in Washington.
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Watch As Trump, Vance Stand United on Iran: 'If They Had a Nuclear Weapon, They Would Use It'
So here are the relevant facts:
Yes, Iran was enriching uranium with the intent of building a nuclear weapon. The enrichment process was always the bottleneck; building the device is not. We did it in 1945; it's not really new technology. And no, they wouldn't have had to have produced a modern, compact device that could be carried by a missile, as I've written many times; all they had to do is stuff one in a cargo container, put it on a ship, and have a jihadi skeleton crew sail it to an appropriate place and torch the nuke off.
Yes, Iran would almost certainly have used a nuclear weapon as soon as it had a working device. The result of Iran's successful production of a device would have, in short order, been a mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv, or Haifa, New York, or Washington.
Yes, Operation Midnight Hammer destroyed much of Iran's capacity for enriching uranium. But it's likewise certain that they would have rebuilt and tried again, perhaps somewhere buried even deeper in the mountains of central Iran.
These are not people who can be reasoned with or even threatened into submission. As long as the mullahs ruled Iran, the work towards making the Islamic Republic a nuclear power would never have stopped. That's what the United States and Israel are doing right now - making sure that doesn't happen.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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