Trump: US forces must enter Iran to seize buried nuke material

US President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that American military personnel will have to “make a journey down to Iran” to secure nuclear materials following last June’s aerial bombardment of Iranian enrichment sites. The operation, carried out jointly by Washington and Israel, reportedly left roughly 1,000 pounds (453.6 kilograms) of enriched uranium buried beneath collapsed facilities. “Now we're going to take a hit, because we have to make a journey down to Iran to take the nuclear weapon,” Trump said, suggesting a risky but necessary incursion.

Iran’s nuclear capability ‘obliterated,’ says Trump

The US president asserted that the strikes effectively destroyed Tehran’s atomic weapons potential. “We blew up their nuclear potential. It was obliterated,” he claimed, adding that Washington maintains constant surveillance over the affected sites. Trump said it would take Iranian forces weeks to reach the buried material, but stressed that the US “wouldn't let them dig down.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has publicly confirmed that the enriched uranium remains “under the rubble,” though Tehran has announced no immediate plans to retrieve it.

Tehran’s private admissions vs. public bravado

Trump alleged that Iranian leaders privately acknowledge their weakened position even while projecting strength on state television. “They express it to me when I talk to them, then they get on television, they say how well they're doing,” he told reporters, adding that Tehran “doesn't like playing games with us. They don't like it at all.” The remarks come amid heightened regional volatility. Türkiye, which shares maritime borders in the eastern Mediterranean and maintains diplomatic channels with both Washington and Tehran, continues to warn against any escalation that could destabilize neighbouring Iran or trigger a broader conflict affecting Turkish trade and security interests.