United States President, Donald Trump, has said the US still has one or two targets to deal with in Iran, despite claiming that much of the country’s military and nuclear capabilities have been destroyed.
Trump made the remarks on Saturday amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, which began in February following military operations by the United States and Israel.
He said negotiations with Tehran were progressing but expressed doubts about Iran’s reliability.
“going fine but you know they’re not very reliable.”
Speaking to reporters at his Florida residence, Trump maintained that Washington was not rushing into further military action, insisting that its forces had already inflicted significant damage on Iran’s military and nuclear programme.
“We’ve knocked out their nuclear. We still have to take care of, I would say one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes,” Trump told reporters.
He specifically mentioned Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected underground nuclear facility, as one of the locations that still required attention.
“You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to take care of that. We can do that all very quickly,” he added.
However, the Iranian government has denied conducting nuclear activities at the location.
Earlier on Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump had yet to decide whether to authorise additional military strikes against Iran, adding that Washington remained open to a diplomatic resolution.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned the United States and Israel against launching fresh attacks, following threats by both countries’ leaders that military operations could resume.
Trump had earlier suggested that another attack could take place after the US midterm elections scheduled for this week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also described the situation as a “historic, one-time opportunity” to overthrow the Iranian government.
The political developments in both countries could influence the future of the conflict.
Israel held a general election on Tuesday, but the political camp led by Netanyahu failed to secure an outright parliamentary majority, leaving the formation of the next government uncertain.
In a statement, Khamenei warned that any fresh threat against Iran would attract an immediate response.
“Any level or type of threat must be met with an immediate, impactful and geographically unrestricted response,” he told senior military commanders.
He also directed military officials to expand Iran’s list of potential targets to cover “all types of tangible and intangible assets belonging to the American-Zionist enemy”.
The meeting was reportedly his first with senior military commanders since assuming leadership in March, following the killing of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in US-Israeli strikes.
Khamenei has not appeared publicly since before taking over the leadership.
Rubio, however, maintained that the United States retained the capacity to achieve its military objectives if necessary.
“we can achieve military objectives if we seek to”, he said, while reiterating that Trump had not authorised further strikes.
The conflict has also disrupted international energy supplies, with Iran restricting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that handles approximately one-fifth of global oil consumption.
Tehran has previously threatened to target undersea communication cables in the strait.
Iranian state television reported on Saturday that a vessel travelling through the waterway struck a mine and caught fire.
The country’s Revolutionary Guards had also announced on Friday that three oil tankers were halted following unspecified incidents or mine strikes.
The restrictions have contributed to rising global energy prices, increasing pressure on the US administration ahead of the midterm elections.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts involving Qatar and Pakistan are continuing in an attempt to prevent a fresh escalation.
Qatari mediators arrived in Tehran on Friday, while US Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei.
Rezaei, who heads Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, confirmed receiving the correspondence but said he was yet to respond.
“I read the letter,” he said in a video broadcast on Iranian television.
“I haven’t yet responded. Their tone has completely changed,” he added, describing the development as “a good sign” without providing further details.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, said there were no immediate plans for direct discussions with American officials.
“Iran’s conditions are clear, and consultations regarding them are ongoing among mediators,” he said in an interview with Al Jazeera, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.
Rezaei also insisted that Iran would maintain its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz until its demands, including the release of frozen Iranian assets, were met.
Despite mediation efforts by Qatar and Pakistan, negotiations have yet to produce a lasting agreement.
Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia warned that any renewed fighting would spread beyond the current theatre of conflict.
“The flames of war will undoubtedly engulf a much wider geographical area,” he said on social media.
Araghchi also warned on X that there would no longer be any “red lines”.
