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‘Nothing taken out of facility’: Trump on US strikes at Iran nuclear sites
Trump's remarks echoed his defense secretary who said he was unaware of any intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its uranium to shield it from US strikes.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said nothing was taken out of the facility at the Iran nuclear site, denying intelligence reports suggesting that Tehran moved its uranium to shield it from the weekend strikes.
Trump's remarks echoed his defense secretary, who said he was unaware of any intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its uranium to shield it from US strikes.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said, "The cars and small trucks at the site were those of concrete workers trying to cover up the top of the shafts. Nothing was taken out of facility. Would take too long, too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move!"
Also Read: Did US strikes do any major damage to Iran nuclear sites? Trump's obliteration claims under dispute
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier on Thursday said he was unaware of any intelligence suggesting Iran had moved any of its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes on Iran's nuclear program over the weekend.
The response from the White House comes after several experts cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of Fordow before Sunday's strike, adding that Tehran could be hiding the stock and other nuclear components in locations unknown to Israel or the US, according to Reuters.
The Pentagon also gave conflicting reports on the US strike saying that the attack likely did not cripple the core components of Iran’s nuclear program below ground.
Donald Trump early Sunday announced launching surprise strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordow, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz under Operation Midnight Hammer.
Also Read: Did US strikes do any major damage to Iran nuclear sites? Trump's obliteration claims under dispute
An early assessment report by US intelligence also said that the American military strikes did not fully destroy Iranian nuclear sites and that the attack is likely to bring the country back only by months.
The Reuters report quoting experts noted that satellite imagery showed "unusual activity" at Fordow nuclear site on Thursday and Friday, with a long line of vehicles waiting outside an entrance to the facility.
Meanwhile, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that most of the near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium had been moved to an undisclosed location before the attack.
