US President Donald Trump stated on Friday that Iran did not approve inspections of its nuclear program or give up enriching uranium, according to Reuters.
Trump’s Remarks
Trump said that he believed that the Iranian nuclear program had been degraded permanently, despite the possibility that Tehran could restart it at a different location.
“I would say it’s set back permanently. I would think they’d have to start at a different location. And if they did start, it would be a problem.” Trump said as he traveled to New Jersey after an Independence Day celebration at the White House.
Moreover, Trump revealed that he would never allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program. He also noted that Iran wanted to hold a meeting with him.
On Friday, the UN nuclear watchdog announced it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran.
Pentagon’s Statement
The Pentagon said that US strikes last month on Iranian nuclear facilities degraded Tehran’s nuclear program by up to two years.
“We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the department assess that,” Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, said at a news briefing on Wednesday.
Parnell also said that the US military campaign likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public.
“All of the intelligence that we’ve seen led us to believe that Iran’s, those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated,” he added.
US Strikes on Iran
On June 22, the US became directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran after launching airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Mr Rafael Grossi, revealed that Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months.
Grossi’s remarks raised doubts over the effectiveness of the US military operation to destroy Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi unveiled that US strikes severely damaged the Fordow nuclear site.
“No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged,” Mr Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on July 1. REUTERS
Israel Iran Conflict
On June 13, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Iran under the name of Operation Rising Lion. The military campaign targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists.
As a response, Iran launched a retaliatory wave of missiles against Israel and targeted Tel Aviv. Israel also killed several Iranian nuclear scientists in line with its goal to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program.
Crucially, Israel announced that it was hit by over 50 missiles during the 12-day war with Iran, resulting in 28 deaths. However, the real extent of the damage may never be known because of strict media restrictions.
The Israeli airstrikes on Iran killed at least 627 people and injured approximately 4,900.
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