President Trump eyes possible talks with Iran after NATO Summit and airstrikes
(NBC) President Trump aims to continue the momentum he gained from this week’s NATO Summit when he returns to Washington for possible talks with Iran. Trump hinted that negotiations with Iran would start as early as next week, following a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Iran that was mediated in part through covert diplomacy. Next week, Iran and I will speak with them. He downplayed the importance of achieving a formal agreement, telling reporters, “We may sign an agreement, I don’t know.”
According to the president, recent American airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites have already achieved the fundamental strategic goal of putting an end to Iran’s nuclear aspirations. Iran won’t have nuclear weapons, I said. We blew it up, all right. Trump said, “It’s blown up to kingdom come.”
His remarks coincide with the Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) first estimate that Iran’s nuclear program may have only been postponed by a few months. However, Trump flatly denied that discovery. The report they presented was incomplete. They failed to notice it. “They just have to make a guess,” he remarked.
Later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged that the DIA was not very confident in that initial assessment. The CIA, on the other hand, has presented a more conclusive opinion, citing reliable evidence indicating Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, particularly the vital Fordo enrichment complex, suffered significant damage and that reconstruction would probably take years. That conclusion has been supported by Israeli intelligence, which claims that the strikes severely limited Iran’s capabilities. Although it has not officially revealed the exact scale, Iran has admitted significant damage at important nuclear installations.
The CIA director and other senior Trump administration officials are scheduled to brief US senators today in an effort to provide them with information on the intelligence and the extent of the operation.
Is the presence of uranium known to us? Are we aware if centrifuges were present? How are those facilities doing? Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) was among the members who demanded answers.
