US President Donald Trump said late Monday the United States obtaining uranium from Iran would be “long” and “difficult” in the aftermath of last year’s US strikes on Tehran’s nuclear sites.
“Operation Midnight Hammer was a complete and total obliteration of the Nuclear Dust sites in Iran,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding: “Therefore, digging it out will be a long and difficult process.”
The US leader regularly uses the term “nuclear dust” to refer to Iran’s stock of enriched uranium, which the United States accuses Iran of hoarding in order to make an atomic bomb.
He later extended the ultimatum he issued to Iran to sign a deal or face attacks on its vital facilities to Wednesday evening, Washington time, ruling out any further extension of the ceasefire.
This comes amid anticipation of a new round of talks in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, where a US delegation is headed, according to a US source familiar with the negotiations. Meanwhile, Tehran maintains that US lifting the blockade on its ports is a prerequisite for its participation in any talks.
Meanwhile, a Pakistani source suggested that Trump might meet Iranian leaders in person or virtually if an agreement is reached.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry declared that the US seizure of an Iranian cargo ship, its blockade of Iranian ports, and the delay in implementing the ceasefire in Lebanon were “clear violations of the ceasefire.”
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the delegation participating in the talks two weeks ago in Pakistan, said that Tehran does not accept negotiations with the US under threats.
He said in a post on X that Trump was seeking to turn the negotiating table into a “table of surrender.” (AFP)
