US President Donald Trump said on Sunday (May 10th) that America remained committed to seizing Iran’s remaining enriched uranium and warned that Washington was closely monitoring Tehran’s nuclear facilities through advanced surveillance capabilities.
Trump said taking control of Iran’s nuclear material remains a key goal.
“We’re going to get it at some point,” Trump told TV’s “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson.” “We have it under surveillance. You know, I did a thing called Space Force and they’re watching it.”
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The US’s goal is to seize Iran’s remaining enriched uranium. President Trump has stated that the US is determined to “get it at some point” and has it under surveillance through the Space Force.
The US uses advanced surveillance capabilities, including space forces, to closely monitor Iran’s nuclear facilities. President Trump has claimed that these capabilities allow them to know the identity of anyone near these locations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes the threat of Iran’s nuclear program is not over. He stated that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium must be removed and its nuclear enrichment infrastructure must be dismantled.
Through Pakistani intermediaries, Iran sent its response to the US proposal for peace talks. Tehran’s proposal suggests focusing on a permanent end to hostilities before addressing broader issues such as its nuclear program.
The ongoing closure and militarization of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route, has disrupted global energy markets. Iran has imposed restrictions and the US has threatened further action if it is not reopened.
Trump added that the US has extensive monitoring capabilities over Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
“If someone came in, they can tell you their name, their address, their badge number,” he said. “We have it very well guarded. If anyone comes near the site, we will know and blow them up.”
The focus remains on Iran’s nuclear stockpile
Trump’s remarks come months after the US targeted three major Iranian nuclear facilities in June during Operation Midnight Hammer.
Despite the strikes, concerns remain in Washington and Jerusalem about Iran’s remaining stockpile of enriched uranium.
The US and Israel are also believed to have carried out additional strikes near Iran’s nuclear facilities in recent months.
Netanyahu says work needs to be done
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran’s nuclear program remains an unresolved threat despite recent military operations.
In an interview with CBS News, Netanyahu said the joint US-Israeli campaign had achieved significant results but was incomplete.
“I think a lot has been achieved, but it is not over because there is still nuclear material – enriched uranium – that needs to be taken out of Iran,” Netanyahu said.
He added: “All that is still there and work needs to be done.”
Netanyahu also stressed that removing the remaining stockpile would require physically removing the material from Iran.
“You go in and pull it out,” he said.
Nuclear negotiations are still deadlocked
The Trump administration has continued negotiations with Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program in recent weeks.
A 14-point framework aimed at progressing peace talks between Washington and Tehran was proposed last week.
However, the two sides remain divided on key issues regarding Iran’s nuclear activities and future limits on enrichment.
Iran, meanwhile, sent its response to the latest US ceasefire proposal through Pakistani mediators, with Tehran saying the talks should focus on a permanent end to the war, according to Iranian state media.
IRGC threatens ‘heavy attack’ on US targets
Tensions in the Persian Gulf escalated sharply on Sunday as Iran warned it would retaliate against any further attacks on its vessels.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy warned that any strike on Iranian merchant or oil vessels would trigger a “heavy attack” on US naval assets and regional military bases.
The warning followed a confrontation on Friday in which US forces intercepted two Iranian tankers allegedly attempting to circumvent a naval blockade.
The US military also said it foiled attacks on three US ships and carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran-linked targets near the Strait of Hormuz.
The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is shaking the markets
The ongoing closure and militarization of the Strait of Hormuz has continued to disrupt global energy markets since the outbreak of hostilities on February 28.
Iran has imposed restrictions and tolling mechanisms on shipping through the vital waterway through which about a fifth of the world’s oil reserves pass.
US President Trump has threatened to return to “all-out bombing” if the strait is not reopened.
Washington says the blockade is necessary to cut off funding for Tehran’s military and nuclear activities.
The US military said on Sunday it had diverted 61 merchant vessels and decommissioned four since the blockade began in April.
Tehran Rejects US ‘Terms’
Iran has signaled it will not bow to US pressure despite renewed diplomatic efforts.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran was unmoved by the US “terms”, even as countries including Russia and Saudi Arabia are pushing to resume talks.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a defiant note on social media.
“We will never bow down to the enemy, and if there is talk of dialogue or negotiation, it does not mean capitulation or retreat,” Pezeshkian said.
The White House did not immediately comment on Iran’s latest response to the US-backed peace proposal.
But US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said diplomacy remains Washington’s preferred option.
“President Donald Trump is giving diplomacy every chance he can before we go back to hostilities,” Waltz told ABC.
Drone incidents test fragile truce
The fragile ceasefire has come under pressure once again after several drone-related incidents in the Persian Gulf region.
The United Arab Emirates said it intercepted two drones allegedly launched from Iran, while Kuwait reported enemy drones entering its airspace.
Meanwhile, Qatar said a drone strike caused a small fire on board a merchant vessel near Doha.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry condemned the attack.
“A dangerous and unacceptable escalation that threatens the safety and security of maritime trade routes and vital supplies in the region,” the ministry said.
The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations Center confirmed that the vessel had been hit by an unidentified projectile, although no casualties were reported.
No group immediately claimed responsibility.
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