Florida [US], November 1 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time), during a Halloween event at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, made a high-stakes statement on the ongoing military campaign against Iran’s strategic and nuclear infrastructure.
Targeting Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and air defence networks, Trump asserted that American operations have already crippled the core of Iran’s nuclear programme and military assets, leaving only a couple of targets, including key underground facilities like “Pickaxe Mountain”, which the US military could eliminate at short notice.
“We’ve knocked out their nuclear. We still have to take care of, I would say, one or two sites, but we can do that in ten minutes,” Trump said.
According to the President, the US is not in an urgent rush to resume immediate strikes, as preceding air operations have successfully degraded Iran’s navy, air force, anti-aircraft networks and defence manufacturing infrastructure.
“We’re not in that much of a hurry from the standpoint that we’ve knocked out their navy, we’ve knocked out their air force, we’ve knocked out their anti-aircraft, we’ve knocked out almost every piece of military equipment they have, we’ve knocked out a lot of their manufacturing capability. Uh, we’ve knocked out the nuclear. We’ve knocked out their nuclear,” Trump said.
He specifically referred to one or two high-priority nuclear infrastructure targets — notably hardened underground installations like Pickaxe Mountain, stating American capabilities allow for their destruction within a rapid 10-minute window if authorised.
Despite the tough rhetoric, Trump indicated that Tehran has signalled a desire to negotiate a deal. However, he expressed strong scepticism about Iran’s reliability, reiterating that “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon” while keeping military action on the table as administration officials deliberate next steps.
“They wanna make a deal, and we will see if they make a deal,” he said, adding, “But they are not very reliable. They make a deal, and then they back out.”
When asked whether he would order renewed military strikes against Iran, Trump described the question as “stupid” and said, “Let’s say I did, would I tell you? I can’t tell you.”
His remarks come amid continued diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran, even as the US administration weighs its military options.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that diplomatic conversations involving Iran had continued without interruption, but declined to provide a timeframe or assess the progress of the negotiations.
Addressing reporters at the conclusion of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Georgia, Rubio said Washington remained open to a diplomatic solution that addressed its security concerns.
“There are multiple talks; talks have actually never stopped. There’s been active conversations going both in some cases directly, but often through intermediaries,” Rubio said.
He added that the United States would consider a diplomatic agreement if it addressed its fundamental security concerns, particularly Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its support for regional armed groups.
“I’m not gonna characterise either the progress on those talks or any timeframe on it other than to tell you that if there is a diplomatic solution, we would be open to it,” he said.
Rubio also reiterated that Trump had not taken a decision on further military action, while asserting that Washington had the capability to achieve its military objectives if required.
“We can achieve military objectives if we seek to. He hasn’t made a decision,” Rubio said.
Meanwhile, according to The Wall Street Journal, Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the telephone on Saturday as Washington evaluated potential renewed military action against Iran.
The conversation came after Trump consulted senior military leadership at a White House meeting earlier in the week regarding strategic options for resuming major combat operations, the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
On the diplomatic front, Iran’s top security official Mohsen Rezaei said that Washington had adopted a “completely shifted tone” in a letter from US Vice President JD Vance, delivered through Qatari mediators.
“Their tone has shifted completely, which is a good sign that shows that our people have secured their victory,” Rezaei told state broadcaster IRIB.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also described Washington’s attempt to open dialogue as a “positive step”, according to Al Jazeera. He said Tehran had studied the letter and disclosed that an aide had travelled to Doha for consultations with mediators.
According to The New York Times, the proposal envisages direct talks under Vance’s leadership, with Iran’s nuclear programme forming part of the discussions from the beginning. The Wall Street Journal reported that the communication outlined a framework for negotiations rather than specific peace terms.
Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned that Iran’s military would respond to any missteps by the United States or Israel with a response that would be “geographically unrestricted”. (ANI)
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