Trump Alleges Iran Tried Reviving Nuclear Program
"They tried to go back to the site. They weren't even able to get near it, there was total obliteration," he said during an interview with a news agency. "But they were thinking about starting a new site in a different part of the country. We found out about it. I said, 'You do that, we're going to do very bad things to you.'"
The revelation surfaces as Iran and the US finalize preparations for critical nuclear talks scheduled Friday in Muscat, the Omani capital. The negotiations faced uncertainty earlier this week before a White House official confirmed to media they would proceed as planned.
Iran likewise verified the talks would advance, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stating they would commence Friday morning.
U.S. media reported earlier that Washington rejected Tehran's demands to modify the location or structure of Friday's scheduled negotiations.
"We told them it is this or nothing, and they said, 'Ok, then nothing,'" the news outlet quoted an unnamed US official as saying.
Iranian media had previously announced that Iran and the US were set to conduct indirect negotiations Friday in Muscat centered on nuclear matters.
Before Muscat emerged as the venue, Istanbul had been floated as a potential site following Türkiye's successful diplomatic intervention to defuse bilateral tensions.
U.S. media cited the official stating that if Iran agrees to return to the original negotiation format, the US stands ready to convene this week or next.
However, Iranian media quoted a source alleging Washington seeks to "raise issues outside the nuclear framework, including defense matters."
"These demands are not only unrelated to the nuclear file but are directly tied to national security and the country's deterrent capability and are fundamentally non-negotiable," said the unnamed source.
The source added that Iran is "ready to negotiate within a defined framework based on mutual respect on nuclear matters" but warned that the "insistence on excessive demands and raising issues beyond the agreement is the main factor behind any potential deadlock."
Oman has previously facilitated indirect communications between the two nations.
The upcoming discussions unfold against escalating tensions driven by American military deployments in the Persian Gulf and repeated military threats issued by Trump.
Multiple countries have recently volunteered mediation services between Tehran and Washington to reduce friction, with Türkiye assuming an especially prominent role.
The US and its ally Israel accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons development, while Tehran maintains its nuclear program serves peaceful objectives, including power generation.
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