WASHINGTON (Horn Post) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran is seeking to resume negotiations with Washington to end the ongoing conflict, while warning that the United States would respond forcefully to any attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement on shipping routes and reiterating that a key Iranian underground nuclear facility remains under close surveillance.
Speaking during a joint news conference with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House, Trump said Tehran had expressed interest in returning to the negotiating table but stressed that Washington would only engage if discussions were likely to produce meaningful results.
“They are asking for talks to end the war. Otherwise, they will be destroyed,” Trump said, adding that the United States was not interested in negotiations that failed to deliver concrete outcomes.
Trump Warns Houthis Over Shipping Threats
Trump also addressed threats by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement to commercial shipping bound for Saudi Arabian ports, warning that any such action would trigger a U.S. response.
“If the Houthis take such steps, the United States will respond,” Trump said, without providing further details on the nature or timing of potential military action.
The remarks come amid continued concerns over maritime security in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors, where Houthi attacks have disrupted global trade and prompted increased Western naval deployments.
Focus on Iran’s Underground Nuclear Facility
Trump also said the United States was closely monitoring Iran’s underground nuclear infrastructure, including a facility reportedly built beneath Koh-e-Kalang, also known as Pickaxe Mountain, near the Natanz nuclear complex in central Iran.
Asked whether Iran may have transferred uranium enrichment centrifuges into the underground complex, Trump said Washington had no documentary evidence confirming such a move.
“It is possible they did. We don’t have documented proof; all we hear is fake news,” Trump said. “But centrifuges without nuclear material are not very useful. What we are pursuing is the nuclear material—that is the most important issue.”
He added that the United States expected to gain greater clarity soon but declined to elaborate further, saying he did not want to reveal operational details.
Trump has previously warned that the underground site could become the target of a “major strike” if the United States concludes it poses a growing nuclear threat.
Concerns Over Underground Expansion
Koh-e-Kalang, located approximately two kilometers south of Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility in Isfahan Province and about 220 kilometers south of Tehran, has become the focus of growing international scrutiny.
Iran says the underground complex is intended to replace its Advanced Centrifuge Assembly Center at Natanz, which was damaged in a 2020 sabotage attack that Tehran blamed on foreign adversaries.
However, the depth of the tunnels, the apparent scale of construction, and the limited access granted to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have fueled concerns among Western governments and nuclear experts that the facility could be designed to support activities beyond those publicly acknowledged by Tehran.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful civilian purposes, while Western powers continue to express concerns that uranium enrichment activities could shorten the time needed to produce weapons-grade material if Tehran chose to pursue a nuclear weapon.
The White House has not announced any new military decisions regarding the site, and Iranian officials have not publicly responded to Trump’s latest remarks.
Prepared by:
Horn Post Staff
