US President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Iran against attempting to restart its nuclear programme, saying Tehran would face severe consequences if it moves to establish new nuclear facilities.
In an interview with NBC News at the White House, Trump said Iran’s Supreme Leader should be “very worried” amid indications that Tehran may be considering setting up a new nuclear site.
“I would say he should be very worried, yeah, he should be. As you know they are negotiating with us,” Trump said when asked if Iran’s leadership should be concerned.
Trump claimed Iran had recently tried to access previously targeted nuclear facilities but was unable to do so due to the extent of damage caused by US strikes.
“They tried going near the nuclear site, but they couldn’t because it was total obliteration,” he said.
He added that the US had detected plans to construct a new nuclear site in another part of the country. “They were thinking about starting a new site in different part of the country. We found out about it, and said you do that and we are going to do way more things to you,” Trump told NBC News.
Asked whether Iran was actively restarting its nuclear programme, Trump said, “Well I heard that they are, and if they do then I'll let them know. And if they do, we'll send them right back into their job.”
Responding to questions about support for protesters in Iran, Trump said US military action had already altered the situation on the ground. “We have had their back. And look, the country is a mess because of us. We went in there and took out their nuclears,” he said.
Trump said the strikes had reduced regional fears of Iran, particularly among Arab states. “We have peace in the Middle East. If I hadn't taken out their nuclears we could never have had peace in the Middle East because Arab countries could have never done that because they were very afraid of Iran. Now they are not afraid anymore,” he said.
Referring to last year's operation targeting Iranian nuclear sites, Trump said, “We wiped it out, those beautiful B2 bombers went in there and hit their target and every single bomb obliterated it.” He claimed Iran had been “going to have a nuclear weapon in one month,” calling it “a big threat,” and added, “They won’t have it anymore.”
Trump’s remarks come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, with concerns over a possible escalation as the US has increased military presence in the region.
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