WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has claimed that one or two Iranian nuclear facilities remain to be targeted, while maintaining that negotiations with Tehran are progressing well.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said Iran had previously reached agreements but later backed away from them, describing Tehran as an unreliable negotiating partner.
The US president said discussions with Iran were going well and that Tehran wanted to reach a deal. However, he added that Washington was in no hurry to conclude an agreement.
Asked whether the United States was considering renewed military strikes against Iran, Trump responded by questioning why he would disclose such a decision publicly.
He claimed that US forces had already targeted Iran’s navy, air force, air defence systems and nuclear facilities, adding that one or two additional nuclear installations remained. He further claimed that the remaining facilities could be targeted within 10 minutes if necessary.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Trump had not made any decision regarding renewed military action against Iran.
Rubio said he was unaware of whether a specific timeframe had been set for the ongoing US-Iran negotiations, which are reportedly being facilitated by Qatar. He reiterated that Washington remained open to a diplomatic solution to end the conflict.
Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States was preparing for the possibility of resuming bombing operations against Iran, with military action potentially taking place after the US midterm elections. The newspaper also reported that Trump had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
On the other hand, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, described what he called a significant change in Washington’s tone as a positive indication.
According to international media reports, Rezaei revealed in an interview that he had received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance and had carefully reviewed its contents. However, he said that no formal response had yet been sent.