US President Donald Trump said the United States was monitoring Iran’s buried enriched uranium and would “blow up” anyone attempting to approach it, as regional diplomatic efforts continued to contain tensions between Washington and Tehran despite ongoing military threats from both sides.
Trump stated that the United States would “eventually” gain access to Iran’s deeply buried uranium stockpile, adding that the US Space Force was monitoring the site. “If anyone goes near the buried enriched uranium, we will know about it and we will blow it up,” he said.
The president stressed that military operations against Iran had not fully ended, clarifying that he never declared the fighting over but only said Iran had been “defeated.” He added that Tehran had been “militarily defeated” and lacked effective naval, air, and air defense capabilities.
Trump said the United States had eliminated “three layers” of Iran’s leadership and remained capable of continuing military operations for “another two weeks” and striking additional targets inside Iran, noting that roughly 70% of Washington’s objectives had been achieved. He added that rebuilding Iran’s capabilities would take years even if strikes stopped now, reiterating that Washington would never allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon. “If Iran had acquired a nuclear weapon, it would have used it against Israel and the Middle East,” he said.
Iran, meanwhile, maintained a defiant tone amid mixed signals over prospects for renewed diplomacy. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the Iranian people would “never submit to the enemy,” insisting that talks did not mean surrender or retreat. He argued that Iran’s adversaries were trying to shift the conflict into the “economic arena” after failing militarily, urging Iranians to remain united and reduce energy consumption.
Iranian state television quoted a military spokesman as saying any new attack on Iran would be met with “new weapons, new warfare methods and new battlefields,” while another official warned that countries complying with US sanctions would “certainly face difficulties” crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
The Revolutionary Guards escalated their rhetoric, warning that any attack on Iranian oil tankers would trigger “violent” strikes on US centers and hostile ships in the region. The commander of the Guards’ aerospace force said Iranian missiles and drones had “locked onto American targets and enemy ships” and were awaiting launch orders.
Against that backdrop, Iran’s state news agency reported that Tehran had sent its response to a US proposal to end the war through Pakistani mediation, adding that negotiations at this stage would focus on ending the regional conflict.
Qatar continued its mediation efforts. The Qatari foreign ministry said Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed the ceasefire and de-escalation efforts with his Saudi and Iranian counterparts. Doha stressed the need for all sides to engage with mediation efforts and address the roots of the crisis through dialogue, while emphasizing that freedom of navigation was “a non-negotiable principle.” It warned that closing the Strait of Hormuz or using it as leverage would deepen the crisis and threaten regional security.
Qatar also condemned a drone attack on a commercial cargo vessel in its territorial waters, describing it as a “blatant violation” of international law and freedom of navigation.
Meanwhile, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates said they had dealt with drones over their territories despite the ceasefire in place since April 8, highlighting the fragility of the truce and persistent security concerns across the Gulf.
The Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, reported that Israel had established a secret military base in the Iraqi desert to support air operations against Iran and had struck Iraqi forces that came close to discovering the site during the early days of the war. The report said the base had been set up with US knowledge.
The continued hardline rhetoric from both sides, despite ongoing diplomatic contacts, suggests the current calm remains fragile and vulnerable to collapse, particularly with unresolved disputes over Iran’s nuclear program, Gulf shipping security, and the US military presence in the region.
