U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, May 10 again made a strong statement on Iran’s nuclear issue. He said the United States will ultimately obtain Iran’s remaining enriched uranium and other nuclear materials, and warned that the U.S. is closely monitoring Iranian nuclear facilities through the “Space Force,” and that anyone attempting to approach related sites will not escape U.S. surveillance systems.
According to the New York Post, Trump made these remarks during an interview with the television program Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson. The interview aired on Sunday.
Trump said controlling Iran’s nuclear materials remains one of the top priorities in the current U.S. strategy toward Iran. He stated: “Well, we’ll get that at some point, whatever we want.”
He then emphasized that the United States is already conducting round-the-clock surveillance of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“We have it surveilled. You know, I did a thing called Space Force, and they are watching…” he said.
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Trump also spoke about the capabilities of U.S. surveillance systems, saying the United States can even identify detailed personal information of individuals entering nuclear facilities. He said: “If somebody walked in, they can tell you his name, his address, the number of his badge.”
He then warned: “We have that very well surveilled. If anybody got near the place, we will know about it and we’ll blow them up.””
The report noted that during earlier escalations in the U.S.-Iran conflict, the Trump administration had seriously considered deploying ground forces into Iran to directly seize nuclear materials in Tehran.
However, due to extremely high operational risks, Trump has not yet formally approved such a military plan.
Last June, the United States carried out airstrikes on three of Iran’s most critical nuclear facilities in a military operation codenamed “Operation Midnight Hammer.”
However, U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff previously revealed that during earlier U.S.-Iran negotiations this year, Iran claimed it still possessed large amounts of nuclear material. If further enriched, these materials would be sufficient to produce 11 nuclear weapons.
Observers believe that after this, the United States and Israel carried out additional strikes in areas surrounding Iranian nuclear facilities.
Trump has long insisted that Iran’s “nuclear dust” is now buried deep under the rubble.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also recently stated publicly that joint U.S.-Israel military operations against Iran are “not over.”
In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, he said that although the operation has achieved “huge results,” enriched uranium and other nuclear materials still remain inside Iran.
Netanyahu said: “I think it accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over, because there’s still nuclear material, enriched uranium that has to be taken out of Iran.”
When asked how to fully eliminate these materials, Netanyahu replied: “You go in and you take it out.”
Negotiations between the Trump administration and Iran are still ongoing.
The New York Post reported last week that the U.S. and Iran have discussed a 14-point peace negotiation framework, but there remain major disagreements over Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump also admitted that dealing with Iran is not easy. He said: “They make a deal, and then they break it. It’s a difficult group.”
However, Trump believes Iran has already been severely weakened militarily.
“They’re militarily defeated. In their own minds, maybe they don’t know that. But I think they do, because I’ve been dealing with them,” he said.
He criticized Iran’s current military capabilities, saying: “They have no navy. They have no air force. They have no anti-aircraft weaponry. They have no radar. They have no leaders. Their leaders are gone. The first set — the A-team is gone.”
He added that if the United States stopped action now, it would still take Iran 20 years to rebuild.
Iran says it has responded to US peace proposal
According to Reuters, Iranian state media reported on Sunday, May 10 that Tehran has responded to a U.S. proposal for peace talks.
Iranian state television said the response submitted to the United States focused on ending conflicts across all fronts, especially in Lebanon, and ensuring the safety of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
However, the report did not specify when or how the Strait of Hormuz would be fully reopened.
The United States had previously proposed a plan to first end hostilities and then negotiate more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
A Pakistani official said that Pakistan, which is mediating the talks, has already forwarded Iran’s formal response to the U.S. government.
As of now, the United States has not publicly responded.
Although a ceasefire in the U.S.-Iran conflict has lasted about a month and the situation has been relatively calm over the past 48 hours, security conditions in the Middle East remain fragile.
On Sunday, several Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait, reported detecting or intercepting hostile drones.
The UAE said its air defense systems successfully intercepted two drones coming from the direction of Iran. Qatar condemned a cargo vessel from Abu Dhabi that was attacked by drones in its waters. Kuwait said its air defenses handled hostile drone targets entering its airspace.
Meanwhile, tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have recently escalated to the most serious level since the ceasefire.
Reports say the UAE was attacked again on Friday, and there were also sporadic clashes between Iranian forces and U.S. naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
At the same time, limited signs of recovery in shipping have emerged.
According to data from shipping analytics firm Kpler, the liquefied natural gas tanker Al Kharaitiyat, operated by QatarEnergy, safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz and is now heading to Pakistan’s Port Qasim.
This is the first Qatari LNG tanker to successfully transit the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel launched military actions against Iran on Feb. 28.
Sources said the passage was carried out with Iran’s approval, partly as a goodwill gesture toward Pakistan and Qatar, another mediator.
Previously, Pakistan had experienced widespread power outages due to disruptions in natural gas imports, making this shipment an important relief measure.
In addition to LNG tankers, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that a Panama-flagged bulk carrier originally bound for Brazil also successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
The report said the vessel had attempted to pass on May 4 but failed at that time. This latest transit was completed along a route designated by Iran’s armed forces.
