JD Vance says location 'not important', but Iran's 'uranium is buried' after US airstrikes
Vance also explained what the US's goal was with the strike at Tehran's 3 enrichment facilities -- Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan -- over the weekend.
US Vice President JD Vance on Monday said that he thinks that Iran's uranium stockpile is buried under the 3 enrichment facilities that the US struck over the weekend. Vance also explained what the US's goal was with the strike at Tehran's 3 enrichment facilities -- Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan -- over the weekend.
Speaking to Fox News, Vance said: "Our goal was to bury the uranium, and I do think the uranium is buried, but our goal was to eliminate their ability to convert that enriched fuel into a nuclear weapon."
He was replying to a question on whether the US knew the location of Iran's ~400kg of uranium, which was enriched to 60% purity. This is way below the 92% mark needed to reach the standard required to build weapons.
Iran's nuclear stockpile of uranium hasn't been accounted for, and the extent to which the Fordow facility is damaged is still not known. Moreover, Vance issued a stern warning to Iran against attempting to build nuclear weapons in the future.
In the same interview, Vance said: "If they (Iran) want to build a nuclear weapon in the future, they're going to have to deal with a very, very powerful American military again." He emphasised that the US is not at war with Iran but against the country's nuclear program.
“We’re not at war with Iran…We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program." Furthermore, he sidestepped a question on whether Iran's nuclear sites were destroyed, stating he didn't want to reveal the "sensitive intelligence" gained by security agencies on the ground.
He also said that the US strikes over the weekend "substantially delayed" Iran's attempts to develop a nuclear weapon. Vance's comments came hours after US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran have reached a "complete and total ceasefire", putting an end to the "12 DAY WAR".
“Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World (sic),” he said in his post on Truth Social.
In another post, he claimed that Israel and Iran reached out to him and said that both the countries wanted peace.
"Israel & Iran came to me, almost simultaneously, and said, “PEACE!” I knew the time was NOW. The World, and the Middle East, are the real WINNERS! Both Nations will see tremendous LOVE, PEACE, AND PROSPERITY in their futures. They have so much to gain, and yet, so much to lose if they stray from the road of RIGHTEOUSNESS & TRUTH. The future for Israel & Iran is UNLIMITED, & filled with great PROMISE. GOD BLESS YOU BOTH!" Trump wrote in this post.
