On Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister bluntly stated that whether the despotic regime in Iran makes a nuclear deal with the United States or not, Iran will continue enriching uranium.

Seyed Abbas Araghchi claimed, “Special Interest groups; malign actors which set the agendas of at least previous Administrations,” should be ignored before adding, “we are ready for a serious conversation to achieve a solution that will forever ensure that outcome. Enrichment in Iran, however, will continue with or without a deal.”

In January 2024, the Arms Control Association noted that Iran had accelerated its production of uranium enriched to near-weapons grade levels, pointing out that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had estimated Iran was producing approximately nine kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent uranium-235 per month. “Accelerating the production of uranium enriched to 60 percent U-235 is concerning because the material can be quickly enriched to weapons-grade levels or 90 percent,” the Arms Control Association reported.

“Once you’re at 60, you’re 90% of the way there. You are, in essence, a threshold nuclear weapons state, which is what Iran basically has become,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday.

Uranium enrichment involves increasing the concentration of the Uranium-235 (U-235) isotope in uranium, from its normal 0.7% to 3.5% for use in nuclear reactors or going further, over 20%, at which point it can be used for nuclear weapons.

“Because Iran has reduced its cooperation with the Agency, the IAEA is no longer able to precisely verify Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium at any one time,” Iran Watch noted in late March of this year in a comprehensive article about Iran’s nuclear weapons program, adding, “Iran’s nuclear program has reached the point at which Iran might be able to enrich enough uranium for five fission weapons within about one week and enough for eight weapons in less than two weeks.”

The danger of Iran further enriching uranium was explicated thus: “Iran’s centrifuges have not produced uranium usually defined as weapon-grade, which is uranium enriched to 90% or higher in the isotope U-235. All of Iran’s production has been at lower grades. Thus, the lower-grade uranium would have to be enriched further to reach at least 90%.”

In April 2024, Iran launched a reported 30 cruise and 120 ballistic missiles targeting Israel; the U.S. Director of National Intelligence stated, “Iran has the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the region and continues to emphasize improving the accuracy, lethality and reliability of these systems.”

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei verbally attacked President Donald Trump in front of a crowd chanting “death to America” in recent comments; Khamenei accused Trump of “lying.”

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: Trump Is Lying and His Statements Are Not Worth a Response; Israel Will Be Dismantled; Crowd Chants “Death to America” Multiple Times pic.twitter.com/STqgNBsSP5

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) May 18, 2025

In a second attempt late Sunday night, President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” prevailed in a critical committee vote after House GOP leadership managed to placate a handful of Republican deficit hawks who held out in the first go-around.

The House Budget Committee advanced its portion of the bill in a 17-16 vote along party lines while four conservative defectors from last time voted “present.”

It appears negotiations over the past couple of days were productive.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told reporters shortly before the Sunday vote that talks had been “great” and “minor modifications” were made over the weekend. The exact details were not immediately known.

Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) asserted during the meeting late Sunday that he could not say what might be changing, emphasizing that the situation was fluid.

One of the erstwhile holdouts, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), suggested the breakthrough had to do with moving Medicaid work requirements forward and reducing “green new scam” subsidies.

However, Roy also said he had lingering objections linked to the same programs, warning the spending “ultimately increases the likelihood of continuing deficits and non-Obamacare-expansion states like Texas expanding in the future.”

The bill is processing through Congress via the reconciliation process, aiming to provide funding for Trump’s domestic priorities, retain the 2017 tax cuts, raise the debt limit, and more.

Negotiations are poised to stretch into this week.

Republicans will have to consider that certain alterations in the final project to placate conservatives might alienate some of their colleagues.

Another component of the massive policy bill — the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap — also threatens to divide the party. The $30,000 limit that passed has GOP members from high-tax blue states fighting for a higher ceiling.

While Republican grapple with their slim majority, Democrats are focused on pushing back on Trump’s agenda. They have warned the bill could lead millions to lose health care while benefiting the rich.

Johnson said during a “Fox News Sunday” interview that the next step in “the plan,” after a successful House Budget Committee vote, is to move the overall bill to the Rules Committee by midweek followed by a House floor by the end of the week.

Doing that, the speaker told Fox News anchor Shannon Bream, would allow House lawmakers to “meet our initial, our original Memorial Day deadline.”