On June 25, US President Donald Trump affirmed that he would resume negotiations with Iran next week, with the goal of ending the country's nuclear ambition. He also said that recent US airstrikes have forced Iran to quickly end the conflict with Israel.
Speaking at the NATO summit in The Hague, Trump said the US could reach a deal with Iran, although he did not consider it "really necessary". "They just want to recover, not get rich at all at the moment," he said, referring to Western allegations that Iran is enriching uranium close to the level where it can make weapons.
Trump said the decision to use large-scale US penetrating bombs in the recent attack "erased" an important part of Iran's nuclear program. "It is a victory for everyone," he stressed, despite the initial assessment from the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) that Iran's nuclear program was delayed for only a few months.
John Ratcliffe, director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), confirmed the airstrikes had "seriously damaged" Iran's nuclear program and completely destroyed several key facilities. The CIA believes it will take years for Iran to restore these facilities. A review from the Israeli nuclear agency also said that the strikes have hampered Iran's nuclear weapons development capabilities "for many years".
However, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that assessing the damage through the time needed for reconstruction was not enough. He stressed that Iran's technological knowledge and industrial capabilities still exist, and that cooperation is needed to bring international inspectors back to nuclear facilities for practical assessments.
Both Iran and Israel are trying to return to normal life after 12 days of tense conflict. A ceasefire has been established, creating conditions for resuming dialogue.
Trump did not disclose the location or composition of the upcoming negotiations, but expressed confidence that Iran will choose the diplomatic path. "If they try to rebuild the nuclear program, we won't let that happen. First of all, by military means," he said. At the same time, he expressed hope to establish relations with Iran to resolve the problem in the long term.
