U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States had destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities, adding that one or two sites remained to be dealt with and that they could be targeted within 10 minutes.
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Trump said Mount Al-Faqs was among the Iranian sites that the United States would need to address, stressing that his country could act very quickly.
He said Washington was in no hurry regarding Iran after U.S. naval and air forces had destroyed its capabilities and air defenses.
Trump also said Iran would never possess a nuclear weapon, noting that Tehran wanted to reach an agreement and adding, “We’ll see what happens with that.”
Asked whether the war against Iran could resume next week, Trump said he would not discuss the matter in front of the media.
On another issue, Trump was asked about the U.S. warning to Russia over a possible terrorist attack. He said he would receive a briefing on the matter on Sunday.
Trump also expressed his belief that the war between Russia and Ukraine would end in the near future.
The war began on February 28 after the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, which responded by targeting Gulf states allied with Washington.
In April, a ceasefire was reached, ending around 40 days of intense bombardment. In June, a protocol agreement was concluded with the aim of bringing the conflict to a definitive end.
However, the fragile understanding collapsed during the summer, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a central point of the conflict. Iran maintains that it has the right to control the vital hydrocarbon shipping route and regularly targets vessels entering it without its permission.
Iranian state television reported on Saturday that an oil tanker had caught fire after striking mines, while Washington says it has removed most of the mines from the area.
Media reports have suggested the possibility of a short and intense military campaign following the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for Tuesday.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke after the legislative elections of a “historic opportunity that may not come again” to overthrow the Iranian government.
Earlier Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump had not made a decision on launching new strikes against Iran amid stalled talks aimed at ending the war. He added that the United States remained open to a diplomatic solution.
For his part, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned the United States and Israel against launching new attacks following threats to resume strikes after the U.S. elections.
In a statement attributed to Khamenei and published on his Telegram channel, he said that if the enemies launched new military or terrorist attacks, “the armed forces of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian people will determine when and under what conditions they will end.”
The statement added that, during a meeting with senior military commanders, Khamenei instructed them to respond to every level and type of threat with an “immediate and effective response, without geographical restrictions.”
He also ordered military commanders to update Iran’s list of targets to include “all types of material and non-material assets belonging to the American-Zionist enemy.”
Iran had previously warned that it could consider cutting undersea communications cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Amid negotiations mediated by Qatar, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran did not currently see a need to meet with the U.S. side.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, carried by Iran’s official news agency IRNA, Araghchi said, “Iran’s conditions are clear. At the same time, the mediators continue their consultations on these conditions.”
