Trump Says Extracting Uranium From Destroyed Iranian Nuclear Sites Will Take Long Time
US president claims June 2025 strikes caused 'complete and total obliteration' of Iranian nuclear facilities, promising prolonged extraction process
Quick Look
- US President Donald Trump stated that extracting enriched uranium from Iranian nuclear sites destroyed in US strikes last June will be a long and difficult process.
- Trump claimed the strikes resulted in 'a complete and total obliteration' of Iran's nuclear facilities.
- The US president also said Iran is ready for an indefinite suspension of its nuclear program without receiving frozen assets from Washington, and that most terms of a potential deal have been agreed.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The US and Israel conducted military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities in February 2026, followed by a ceasefire announcement in April. Trump has claimed the strikes destroyed Iran's nuclear capability, but the extraction of enriched uranium from underground sites remains a technical challenge.
WASHINGTON, April 21. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump said extracting enriched uranium from the underground at Iranian nuclear sites targeted in the summer of 2025 will take a long time. According to the American leader, the strikes carried out by the United States in June last year resulted in "a complete and total obliteration" of Iranian nuclear sites. "Therefore, digging it out will be a long and difficult process," he wrote on Truth Social. On April 17, Trump said Iranian and US representatives will work together on removing enriched uranium from the Islamic Republic. According to him, Tehran is allegedly ready for an indefinite suspension of its nuclear program without receiving any frozen assets from Washington. The American leader also said that most of the terms of a potential deal with Iran had already been agreed. The United States and Israel launched a large-scale operation against Iran on February 28. On April 7, the United States announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran. Iran and the United States held several rounds of talks in Islamabad on April 11. Both Tehran and Washington said after the negotiations that no agreement on a long-term settlement of the conflict had been reached due to a range of disagreements. It is not yet clear whether another round of consultations will ultimately be organized.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Another round of US-Iran consultations will likely be organized in coming weeks
Very likely · Within weeks
Uranium extraction process will take months to years
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- Will Iran actually agree to indefinite suspension without frozen assets?
- What are the specific terms already agreed between US and Iran?
- Will another round of consultations be organized?
- How long will the uranium extraction process actually take?
