WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has dismissed reports that Iran moved enriched uranium before recent US air strikes, saying there was no sign the material was relocated.
The claims, based on a classified report, raised questions about how much damage the strikes actually caused to Iran’s nuclear programme. But the White House has said that the uranium is still buried under rubble at the targeted sites.
Trump, eager to take credit for ordering the strikes and then swiftly announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, reacted angrily to media coverage of a classified report which questioned the scale of damage to Iranian nuclear facilities.
One of the key concerns raised by experts is whether Iran, anticipating the strike, moved around 400 kilogrammes (880 pounds) of enriched uranium — which may now be hidden elsewhere in the country.
“I can tell you, the United States had no indication that that enriched uranium was moved prior to the strikes, as I also saw falsely reported,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in an interview with Fox News.
“As for what’s on the ground right now, it’s buried under miles and miles of rubble because of the success of these strikes on Saturday evening,” she added.
