Iran has not agreed to inspections or given up enrichment, says Trump
He told reporters on board Air Force One on Friday that he believed Tehran's nuclear programme had been 'set back permanently', although he conceded Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump said he would discuss Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits the White House on Monday, where a potential Gaza ceasefire is expected to top the agenda. Trump said, as he travelled to New Jersey after an Independence Day celebration at the White House, 'I would think they'd have to start at a different location. And if they did start, it would be a problem.'
Trump said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear programme, adding that Iranian officials wanted to meet with him. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Friday it had pulled out its inspectors from Iran as a standoff deepens over their return to the country's nuclear facilities that were bombed by the US and Israel.
The US and Israel say Iran was enriching uranium to build nuclear weapons. Tehran denies wanting to produce a nuclear bomb, reiterating for years that its nuclear programme has been for civilian use only. Neither US intelligence nor the UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said they had found any proof that Tehran was building a nuclear weapon.
Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago, with the US intervening on the side of its staunch ally by launching massive strikes on the sites on June 22.
The IAEA's inspectors have been unable to inspect Iran's facilities since the beginning of the conflict, even though Grossi has said that it is his top priority. Grossi stressed 'the crucial importance' of holding talks with Iran to resume its monitoring and verification work as soon as possible.
In the aftermath of the US and Israeli attacks, Iran, which has said it is still committed to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), made painfully clear its burgeoning distrust of the IAEA. (Agencies)
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