Trump claims only US and China can recover uranium from Iran’s crushed nuclear sites

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said on Thursday, June 4, that only the United States and China can retrieve enriched uranium from Iran's deeply buried nuclear facilities, while insisting that recent US military strikes caused severe damage to the sites.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump pushed back against reports questioning the effectiveness of the attacks and maintained that the targeted facilities were left in ruins.

He argued that the extent of the destruction has made any effort to recover material from the sites extremely difficult.

Trump says Iran's nuclear sites were 'obliterated' by US strikes

During his remarks, Trump defended the impact of the military operation and rejected suggestions that the targeted locations may have escaped major damage.

"We attacked their nuclear sites, and they were obliterated," Trump told reporters.

The president also took aim at media coverage that questioned how much damage had been done to the facilities.

"It turned out that, you know, CNN was wrong. They said, 'Well, maybe they weren't hit that hard.' They were hit so hard, nobody knows if you could even get it out," he said.

Donald Trump claims only US and China have necessary equipment

One of the most notable parts of Trump's remarks was his claim that only two countries possess the technology needed to access material buried beneath the damaged facilities.

"But the only ones that have the capability of getting it out are us and China," Trump said.

He did not identify the equipment he was referring to but suggested that the challenge involves reaching material buried deep beneath mountainous terrain.

"We're the only ones with that kind of equipment that's powerful enough to go down that deep into a mountain, but that mountain crushed it," Trump said.

The president went on to describe the extent of the damage in dramatic terms.

"That mountain literally collapsed on top of it," he added.

While Trump was firm in his assessment, he did not provide additional details about how such a recovery operation would work or what technology would be required to carry it out.

Donald Trump cites IAEA assessment while discussing uranium recovery

Trump also pointed to assessments from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as support for his argument that recovering material from the sites would be extremely difficult.

According to the president, the agency's findings align with the view that the condition of the facilities presents major obstacles to any retrieval effort.

"And now the atomic energy, as you know, has backed us up on that. They think it's a very, very hard thing to get to, but we'll get it anyway. But we're the only ones — and China, I believe, does, too — that have the capability," Trump said.

While questions continue about the state of any remaining enriched uranium, Trump maintained that the combination of the attacks and the collapse of surrounding structures has significantly complicated access to whatever remains underground.