Trump doubles down on Iran strike claim, says 'just thousands of tons of rock left' at Fordow nuclear site
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US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his claim that recent airstrikes carried out by American forces on Iran's nuclear facilities were devastatingly effective, declaring that the Fordow enrichment site was left in complete ruins.In an interview with Fox News aired Sunday, Trump described the bombing as a critical blow to Iran's nuclear program, repeating his earlier statement that the bunker-buster strike at Fordow went through the target 'like absolute butter.'He added, 'It's just thousands of tons of rock in that room right now. The whole place was just destroyed.'The Fordow complex, built deep within a mountain, has long been considered among Iran's most fortified nuclear installations. Trump said the assault marked a temporary halt to Tehran's atomic ambitions. 'That meant the end to their nuclear ambitions, at least for a period of time,' he stated.Trump emphasized the element of surprise in the strikes. 'We didn't give much notice because they didn't know we were coming until just then,' he said.He also dismissed intelligence leaks suggesting Iran had moved uranium out of Fordow before the bombings, claiming such actions would have been extremely difficult. 'It's very dangerous to do. It's very heavy, very, very heavy. It's a very hard thing to do,' he added.Some intelligence reports cited by U.S. and Israeli media suggest the extent of the damage may be overstated, fueling debate over whether Iran's nuclear capabilities were meaningfully degraded. Trump, however, maintained that the strikes had effectively shut down Iran's progress, saying, 'The last thing they want to do right now is think about nuclear. They have to put themselves back into condition and shape.'The US president also criticized leaks to the press regarding classified intelligence, calling for legal action against those responsible. 'You tell the reporter 'national security,' who gave it? You have to do that. And I suspect we'll be doing things like that,' he said.In the same interview, Trump claimed that diplomatic momentum is growing in the Middle East, with more Arab nations preparing to join the Abraham Accords and normalise ties with Israel.While the full impact of the joint U.S.-Israel strike remains under assessment, Trump's comments mark a forceful reaffirmation of his administration's stance that Iran's nuclear infrastructure has been decisively crippled — at least for now.
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