Trump Says US Must Enter Iran to Secure Buried Nuclear Material

(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that American forces may need to enter Iran to secure nuclear-related material, following earlier airstrikes that he said buried key enrichment facilities, according to reports.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “Now we're going to take a hit, because we have to make a journey down to Iran to take the nuclear weapon,” suggesting a possible future operation on Iranian territory.

He appeared to refer to reports of approximately 1,000 pounds (453.6 kilograms) of enriched uranium that are believed to be trapped beneath debris from sites struck during a US-Israeli military campaign last June. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has acknowledged that the material is “under the rubble,” noting there are no immediate plans to recover it.

Trump claimed that US strikes had effectively neutralized Iran’s nuclear capabilities, saying, “We blew up their nuclear potential. It was obliterated.” He added that it could take Iran weeks to access the buried material and said US forces would prevent any excavation efforts through continuous surveillance.

He also argued that Iran understands it is in a weak position, despite public messaging from Tehran suggesting otherwise. “They express it to me when I talk to them, then they get on television, they say how well they're doing,” he said.

“They don't like playing games with us. They don't like it at all,” Trump added, according to reports.

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