Washington [US], June 30 (ANI): U.S. President Donald Trump has reaffirmed his commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, following the conclusion of a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel that included direct U.S. military involvement, Al Jazeera reported.
Speaking on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Trump claimed Iran was “weeks away” from building a nuclear weapon before Israel launched its June 13 airstrikes. He said that nine days later, the United States struck three of Iran’s top nuclear facilities—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Trump insisted the U.S. strikes had “obliterated” the sites, asserting that the operation had set Iran’s nuclear program back “by decades.” However, Al Jazeera and other outlets have cited U.S. intelligence sources and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which indicate the damage may have been far less extensive.
According to the IAEA, there is no evidence that Iran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons, and Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is strictly for civilian purposes. The agency noted on Monday that it remains unclear how much damage was inflicted on the underground Fordow facility, which houses a significant portion of Iran’s highly enriched uranium.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated Sunday that Iran could resume uranium enrichment “within months,” directly contradicting Trump’s claim that Iran’s capabilities had been neutralized for the foreseeable future.
Last month, the IAEA reported that Iran possessed more than 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity—just below weapons-grade—sufficient, if further enriched, to produce nine nuclear weapons.
In the interview, Trump dismissed reports questioning the success of the strikes as “fake news,” saying, “It was obliterated like nobody has ever seen before, and that meant the end to their nuclear ambitions—at least for a period of time.”
He also pushed back against claims that Iran had relocated enriched uranium from Fordow prior to the attack. “It’s a very hard thing to do, plus we didn’t give them much notice,” Trump said. “Nobody thought we would go after that site because everybody said that site was impenetrable… it’s at the bottom of a mountain and it’s granite. [But] the bomb went through it like butter, like it was absolute butter.”
In addition to comments on Iran, Trump addressed other foreign policy issues. He said the U.S. would suspend trade talks with Canada until Ottawa withdraws its newly announced digital services tax.
Regarding U.S.-China relations, Trump noted that despite the ongoing trade deficit, the two countries were “getting along.”
He also revealed that a buyer had been secured for TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media platform his administration has repeatedly targeted. Trump said the buyer was a group of “very wealthy people,” whose identity would be disclosed in two weeks. The announcement followed the extension of the platform’s U.S. ban for another 90 days. (ANI)
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