Trump claims Iran was weeks from nuclear bomb, warns of hidden nuclear site
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump, in an interview with Fox News, said that Iran may have another secret nuclear site. Three of Iran's main sites were destroyed in American strikes, but he believes there could be one more unknown bunker.
"We knew that they (Iran -ed.) had a lot of (nuclear -ed.) sites, probably three plus the one. But they had three main sites, and we knew they were going to have to either give them up," Trump said.
The President added that the fate of Iran’s nuclear sites was sealed once Tehran began speaking about uranium enrichment.
"I wouldn’t have allowed it to happen. I think people wouldn't have understood it if I allowed that to happen," he said.
Trump also said Iran has no choice but to accept the conditions set by the United States. He stressed that Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. According to him, Washington will not let Tehran obtain them. At one point, Iran was just "weeks away" from developing nuclear bombs.
"They were beaten up, and so was Israel, in all fairness. We call it the 12-day war. That was an intensive war... Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They've wanted this for years. And they were just weeks away from getting them," Trump concluded.
Possible negotiations with Iran
One of the key US demands in talks with Iran remains a full halt to uranium enrichment that could be used for nuclear weapons. Washington says it is even willing to let Iran maintain a peaceful nuclear program and is offering billions in investments along with potential sanctions relief.
However, Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran's Ambassador to the UN, stated that Tehran will never abandon its uranium enrichment programs. He claimed Iran has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, as allowed under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, it would take Iran only a short time — possibly just a few months — to rebuild its stockpile of enriched uranium. However, the media note that fully restoring the nuclear program would be much more difficult due to the ongoing threat posed by Israel.
