Trump: Recovering Iran’s Uranium Will Be a Long Process

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that removing the remaining enriched uranium from Iran's nuclear facilities following U.S. strikes will be a "long and difficult" process. On his social media platform, Truth Social, the president wrote that the operation, dubbed "Midnight Hammer," led to the destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities and that recovering the remaining materials from these sites would require significant time.

Trump also accused American media outlets, including CNN, of downplaying the role of the U.S. Air Force in the operation, writing that some media outlets are attempting to diminish the significance of the strike.

Simultaneously, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), emphasized that any potential agreement between Tehran and Washington would be unenforceable without the presence and oversight of his international organization. In an interview with The Telegraph, he stated that without verification, no agreement can be real and would merely become a political promise.

Referring to the IAEA's comprehensive knowledge of Iran's nuclear infrastructure, Grossi noted that the agency is the only impartial authority capable of guaranteeing oversight of the implementation of any agreement. He also mentioned that one option being discussed in negotiations could involve diluting a portion of Iran’s enriched uranium and transferring the remainder to a third country.

At the same time, the director general warned that any operation to collect nuclear materials from within Iran would be fraught with technical and security complexities, although he acknowledged that the U.S. possesses the military capability to carry out such a mission.

The statements from Trump and Grossi come as Iran has reduced its level of cooperation with the IAEA following strikes on its nuclear centers, restricting full inspector access to certain sites.