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Mar 10, 2026

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

Oman Reports Breakthrough in Iran Nuclear Talks as Concerns Over Hidden Uranium Persist

Oman’s foreign minister announced on February 27 that negotiations with Iran had produced what he described as a potential breakthrough regarding Tehran’s nuclear program. The announcement came even as concerns continued to grow among international inspectors and analysts that Iran may have been secretly advancing parts of its nuclear weapons capabilities.

Speaking during an interview with CBS in Washington, the minister explained that Iranian officials had agreed in principle to several significant measures aimed at limiting the country’s nuclear activities. These steps reportedly include eliminating Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, allowing comprehensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and converting existing nuclear material into reactor fuel.

According to the minister, the proposal would introduce irreversible safeguards designed to prevent the nuclear material from being used for weapons development while still allowing Iran to maintain a civilian nuclear program.

“This is something completely new,” he said. “If enriched material cannot be stockpiled, then it becomes extremely difficult to build a nuclear weapon.”

However, on the same day that Oman revealed the diplomatic progress, the IAEA circulated a confidential report raising new concerns about undeclared nuclear material inside Iran. According to the report, inspectors were unable to verify the exact size, composition, or location of certain nuclear materials believed to be in Iran’s possession.

The agency also warned of what it described as a “loss of continuity of knowledge” regarding Iran’s nuclear inventory. This phrase indicates that monitoring gaps—caused by restricted access to facilities and interruptions in surveillance—have prevented inspectors from maintaining a complete and reliable record of Iran’s nuclear material.

Analysts reviewing intelligence data, satellite imagery, and international monitoring reports say there is growing evidence that Iran may have continued advancing aspects of its nuclear program while diplomatic negotiations were still underway.

According to these assessments, Tehran allegedly concealed parts of its nuclear activities from inspectors while simultaneously expanding construction of hardened facilities associated with the program. These developments reportedly occurred in the months leading up to military strikes against Iranian nuclear infrastructure in early 2026.

During the ongoing U.S.–Israeli military campaign, several Iranian nuclear-related sites have reportedly been targeted. A separate report indicates that at least four strikes were carried out against facilities believed to be connected to Iran’s nuclear program.

Among the locations reportedly hit were a covert nuclear weapons development site known as Minzadehei, entrances to enrichment facilities at Natanz, structures within the nuclear complex at Isfahan, and a laboratory within the Lavisan-2/Mojdeh complex. The latter facility is believed to house operations linked to SPND, the administrative arm responsible for Iran’s nuclear weapons research.

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