Trump: Iran Uranium Recovery Will Be ’Long and Difficult’

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump said that extracting enriched uranium from Iran would be a “long and difficult process,” citing last year’s military escalation and what he described as extensive damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Referring to Operation Midnight Hammer, Trump said the strikes led to “a complete and total obliteration of the Nuclear Dust sites in Iran,” adding, “Therefore, digging it out will be a long and difficult process.”

While Washington maintains that its strikes heavily damaged Iran’s nuclear sites, the verification is limited. Analysts note airstrikes rarely eliminate nuclear know-how, often only delaying programs.

Meanwhile, Iran firmly rejected any proposal to transfer its enriched uranium abroad. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated that Tehran has no intention of exporting enriched uranium “to the United States or any other country.”

This aligns with Iran’s long-standing policy of retaining control over its nuclear materials, with officials saying its civilian program is a peaceful sovereign right under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty framework.

Third-party investigations further confirm the nonexistence of any threat when it comes to Iran's nuclear program.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said there is no evidence of a “structured program” to build nuclear weapons in Iran, adding in a CNN interview that the country was not “days or weeks away” from making a bomb.

Tehran has also linked any future negotiations to guarantees against further military action, reflecting deep mistrust following the recent escalation.

Diplomatic efforts to turn the ceasefire into a settlement have stalled, with Islamabad talks ending without agreement over Iran’s nuclear program and security guarantees.

Despite the absence of renewed large-scale strikes, the US has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports, while Iran calls it coercive, and mediators are now trying to arrange new talks amid uncertainty over both sides’ positions.