President Donald Trump has cautioned Iran against considering any form of retaliation following the recent U.S. military strikes.
Trump authorized an offensive on key Iranian nuclear installations overnight, describing the mission as a ‘success.’ However, an Iranian official has strongly criticized the action, claiming it will lead to ‘everlasting consequences’ for the United States.
During an address to the nation, Trump confirmed that U.S. forces targeted the Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear sites, in response to a report indicating that Iran was nearing the capability to develop a nuclear weapon.
A June 9 report from the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a non-profit organization, indicated that Iran’s Fordow facility was capable of producing weapons-grade uranium (WGU) within days.
In his speech, Trump stated: “A short time ago the US military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime – Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, responded on Twitter, warning that the U.S. will face ‘everlasting consequences’ for the attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.
“The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear installations,” he tweeted.
“The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior.
“In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”
Before Araghchi’s tweet, President Trump issued a stern warning indicating that any Iranian retaliation would be met with even greater force than the recent U.S. strikes.
He posted on Truth Social: “Any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight. Thank you! Donald J. Trump, President of the United States.”
Turning attention to the nuclear watchdog’s warnings, it had reported that Iran’s main nuclear facilities, particularly Fordow, could produce weapons-grade uranium (WGU) in a matter of days.
Natural uranium consists of about 0.7 percent of uranium-235, which is not suitable as fuel for nuclear reactors without enrichment. It needs to be enriched to 3.5 percent by removing the isotope uranium-238.
Iran has been suspected of enriching uranium to 60 percent, which serves no apparent peaceful purpose and is being stored in large quantities.
The underlying concern is that this level of enrichment significantly advances Iran’s capability to reach weapon-grade uranium (WGU), generally defined at 90 percent.
The report stated: “Iran could produce its first quantity of 25 kg of WGU in Fordow in as little as two to three days.
“Breaking out in both Fordow and the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP), the two facilities together could produce enough WGU for 11 nuclear weapons in the first month, enough for 15 nuclear weapons by the end of the second month, 19 by the end of the third month, 21 by the end of the fourth month, and 22 by the end of the fifth month.”