Trump Claims Iran Seeks to Resume Its Nuclear Program
U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran is attempting to resume its nuclear program following the airstrikes conducted by his administration in June 2025.
This statement was made during his conversation with NBC News, just ahead of the anticipated talks with Iran in Muscat, Oman, scheduled for tomorrow, Friday.
Trump stated that Iran has been unable to return to the nuclear facilities targeted by the U.S. military, and alleged that it is considering building a new nuclear facility elsewhere in the country.
He added, “We are aware of this matter, and I said: If you do this, there will be very severe consequences.”
During a press conference in Washington on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted that “any talks (with Iran) that aim to yield meaningful results must address specific issues, including the range of Iranian ballistic missiles, its support for terrorist organizations across the region, its nuclear program, as well as its treatment of its people.”
While nuclear negotiations have been ongoing between Tehran and Washington, Israel launched attacks on June 13, 2025, targeting nuclear and military facilities, in addition to residential areas in various Iranian cities.
On June 22, 2025, the United States, which openly supports Israel, conducted strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan, using “bunker-busting” bombs, a weapon exclusive to Washington, in an operation dubbed “Midnight Hammer.”
While Trump described the strikes as a “huge success,” the first leaked damage assessment report indicated that the attacks did not “destroy” Iran’s nuclear program but rather “delayed it by a few months.”
Recently, pressure from the United States and its ally Israel on Iran has intensified amid popular protests in the country that began in late December, protesting the deteriorating economic and living conditions.
Iran believes that the U.S. seeks, through sanctions, pressure, and instigating unrest, to create a pretext for external intervention aimed at regime change, threatening a “comprehensive and unprecedented” response to any attack targeting it, even if it is “limited” according to some American statements and leaks.
Israel and its ally the United States accuse Iran of seeking to produce nuclear weapons, while Tehran insists that its nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes, including electricity generation.
