WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has warned that American forces could strike Iran’s remaining nuclear facilities within 10 minutes if necessary, even as he acknowledged progress in ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Speaking about diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement with Iran, Trump said discussions were moving in the right direction and that Tehran appeared interested in securing a deal. However, he stressed that the United States was in no hurry to finalise an agreement.
The US president expressed doubts about Iran’s reliability, accusing Tehran of failing to honour commitments after reaching agreements.
Trump said Washington remained cautious because Iran had previously backed away from its promises, adding that it remained to be seen whether Tehran would ultimately agree to a deal.
Addressing questions about the possibility of renewed US military strikes against Iran, Trump dismissed the question as foolish but reiterated claims about previous American military operations.
He claimed that US forces had already targeted Iran’s navy, air force, air defence systems and several nuclear facilities.
According to Trump, one or two Iranian nuclear installations remained outside the scope of previous American strikes.
He warned that the US military possessed the capability to target those facilities within 10 minutes if Washington considered further action necessary.
The remarks came as diplomatic efforts continued to address tensions between the United States and Iran, with negotiations focused on reaching an agreement.
Despite his warning of possible military action, Trump maintained that discussions with Tehran were progressing positively.
He said Iran appeared willing to negotiate but emphasised that Washington would assess whether Tehran was prepared to honour any commitments made under a future agreement.
The US president’s statements highlighted Washington’s continued reliance on diplomatic negotiations alongside warnings of potential military action as talks with Iran continued.