Report: Iran Was Nearing Nuclear Capabilities While Negotiating ‘Peace’

Diplomatic talks aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions appeared to make progress in late February, but new intelligence and international monitoring reports suggest the regime may have continued advancing elements of its nuclear program behind the scenes.

Speaking during an interview in Washington on Feb. 27, Badr Albusaidi, the foreign minister of Oman, said negotiations with Iran had yielded what he described as a potential breakthrough regarding Tehran’s nuclear activities.

According to Albusaidi, Iranian officials had signaled a willingness in principle to take significant steps designed to limit their nuclear capabilities. These included eliminating their stockpile of enriched uranium, allowing comprehensive inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and converting existing nuclear material into reactor fuel.

“This is something completely new,” he said. “If you cannot stockpile material that is enriched, then there is no way you can actually create a bomb.”

Under the reported framework, the steps would be irreversible and subject to international verification to ensure that the nuclear material could not be redirected toward weapons development.

However, on the same day that the diplomatic development was announced, the IAEA circulated a confidential report raising new concerns about Iran’s nuclear activities.

According to the agency, inspectors were unable to confirm the full size, composition, or location of certain nuclear materials believed to be in Iran’s possession. The report also cited what officials described as a “loss of continuity of knowledge” regarding Tehran’s nuclear inventory—an indication that monitoring gaps had prevented inspectors from maintaining a complete and reliable record of the country’s nuclear materials.

Analysts reviewing intelligence data, satellite imagery, and international monitoring reports say evidence indicates Iran may have continued advancing elements of its nuclear program even while negotiations were underway.

The assessments suggest that Tehran allegedly concealed portions of its nuclear activity from inspectors while simultaneously expanding hardened facilities tied to the program. Those developments reportedly occurred in the months leading up to military strikes against Iranian nuclear infrastructure in early 2026.

Separate reports indicate that multiple strikes were conducted against sites associated with Iran’s nuclear program during the ongoing military campaign involving the United States and Israel.

According to the reports, at least four facilities connected to Iran’s nuclear activities were targeted. These included a covert weapons development site known as Minzadehei, entrances to uranium enrichment facilities at the Natanz Nuclear Facility, structures within the nuclear complex at Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, and a laboratory within the Lavisan 2/Mojdeh complex.

The Lavisan site reportedly houses facilities linked to SPND (Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research), the administrative arm of Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons development program.

Diplomatic discussions during late February centered on a proposal that would significantly restrict Iran’s nuclear activities while allowing limited civilian nuclear operations.

Under that framework, Iran would cease accumulating enriched uranium, allow comprehensive IAEA monitoring, and convert existing nuclear material into reactor fuel—measures intended to prevent the production of weapons-grade material.

Yet the confidential IAEA report raised doubts about whether such commitments could be effectively verified.

Inspectors warned that restrictions on access to several nuclear facilities had already created monitoring gaps lasting several months. As a result, the agency reported difficulty maintaining accurate records of Iran’s nuclear material.

According to the report, Iran had concealed a stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity in an underground tunnel complex at the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center.

Because inspectors lacked access to several enrichment sites, the IAEA said it could not verify the total amount or precise location of Iran’s nuclear stockpile.

Military strikes targeting Iranian nuclear infrastructure began the following day, according to reports.

For years, international monitoring efforts have focused heavily on whether Iran would enrich uranium to 90 percent purity, the level widely considered suitable for nuclear weapons.

However, some researchers warn that even lower levels of enrichment could present serious proliferation risks.

In July 2025, researchers writing in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists published findings suggesting uranium enriched to 60 percent purity could potentially be used in crude nuclear devices without additional enrichment.

A separate analysis by physicists at Illinois State University estimated that roughly 40 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent could produce a device with an explosive yield of about one kiloton.

The developments highlight the ongoing challenge facing the international community: balancing diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing nuclear proliferation while confronting persistent evidence that Iran may continue pursuing capabilities that could ultimately lead to nuclear weapons.