'Everything Under Rubble': Iran Foreign Minister Araghchi Says 'Nuclear Material' Buried After US Strikes

Tehran: Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi said on Sunday (local time) that his country's "nuclear material" was currently buried under rubble following recent attacks on its nuclear facilities. He said that the material may be recoverable in the future, but remains inaccessible for now, CBS News reported.

Speaking in a CBS News interview, Araghchi said Iran's "nuclear material" was buried after strikes on its nuclear infrastructure. He added that while it may be possible to recover the material, Iran currently has no plans to retrieve it. "They are under the rubble. Our nuclear facilities were attacked, and everything is under the rubbles. There is the possibility of retrieving them, but under the supervision of the agency. If one day we come to the conclusion to do that, it would be under the supervision of the agency. But for the time being, we have no program. We have no plan to recover them from under the rubble," Araghchi said, as reported by CBS News, referring to oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Araghchi also said Iran had previously been willing to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched material during negotiations with the United States before the latest escalation."Well, that was one of the elements of a deal that we were negotiating with our, you know, American interlocutors. That element dealt with the question of Iran's 60% enriched material, and I offered, actually, that we are ready to dilute those enriched materials, or down blend them, as they say, into a lower percentage," he said.

"That was a big offer, a big concession to prove that Iran has never wanted nuclear weapons and would never want them," CBS News quoted the Iranian leader as saying. Earlier, President Donald Trump stated that the US might conduct further military operations against Iran's Kharg Island oil export hub.

In an interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump asserted that previous American strikes had "demolished" the majority of the island's oil infrastructure. He further remarked that the US “may hit it a few more times just for fun.” Throughout the ongoing hostilities, US forces have launched airstrikes against military installations on the island, striking numerous targets, including missile storage facilities and various defence sites.

While earlier reports suggested that the oil export infrastructure remained largely undamaged, Trump announced on Saturday that the US had indeed struck the island, which he described as a vital hub for Iran's oil trade. The President claimed that US forces had "obliterated" military installations on Kharg Island. Located in the Persian Gulf, the site serves as the primary gateway for Iran's crude oil shipments to international markets.

Although the terminals themselves were not the primary focus of the recent strikes, Trump cautioned that energy infrastructure remains a potential target if Tehran continues to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

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