Trump says US has 'knocked out' Iran's nuclear capacity but more sites remain

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States had "knocked out" Iran's nuclear capacity and still had to "take care of" one or two more sites, including a suspected underground nuclear complex known as Pickaxe Mountain. He spoke to reporters at his residence in Florida, according to Arab News.

Trump said the sites could be dealt with quickly. "We still have to take care of, I would say one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes," he said. He also said of Pickaxe Mountain: "You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to take care of that. We can do that all very quickly," according to the same report.

Trump described negotiations with Iran as "going fine but you know they're not very reliable." He said the United States was not in a hurry to take offensive action because it had, in his words, decimated Iran's military and nuclear programme.

Earlier on Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump had not decided on fresh strikes on Iran and that the United States would be open to a diplomatic solution, Arab News reported. Iran's supreme leader warned the United States and Israel on the same day against launching new attacks. He spoke after threats to resume strikes following elections, the report said.

The Iranian government has denied that any nuclear work is carried out at Pickaxe Mountain. Arab News reported the denial without giving further detail.

Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera Arabic also published Trump's remarks on Telegram, quoting him as saying the United States could strike Iran's nuclear sites within 10 minutes and that it had destroyed Iran's nuclear capabilities. These posts are social media reports and are unverified. The wording of the posts matches Arab News's account of the remarks.

Why it matters

The remarks point to a possible return to fighting in a conflict that began at the end of February, when the United States and Israel started a war against Iran, according to Arab News. Trump's statements that more strikes are possible, and that the timing depends on the US midterm elections, leave open whether the diplomatic talks will hold. For people in Iran, and for Muslim communities in the region more broadly, the outcome of those talks and any new strikes would affect daily security and civilian life. The sources do not describe the effects on civilians.

Background

The United States and Israel began a war against Iran at the end of February, according to Arab News. The source does not give the year of the conflict or describe the earlier stages of fighting.

Pickaxe Mountain is a suspected underground nuclear complex near the Natanz Nuclear Facility in Isfahan province, central Iran. A satellite image released by Vantor and distributed by Agence France-Presse (AFP) in June 2026 showed vehicles at the western entrance of the tunnel complex. Iran has denied that nuclear work takes place there.

Trump has said he is weighing whether to "finish them off" after US midterm elections, Arab News reported. The sources do not give a date for those elections in the material provided.

What happens next

Rubio said no decision had been made on fresh strikes and that Washington would be open to a diplomatic solution. Trump said negotiations were continuing. The sources do not set a date for talks, a deadline, or any further statement from Iran's government on the talks. Trump has linked possible new military action to the period after the US midterm elections.

The sources do not confirm whether any strike on Pickaxe Mountain or other sites has been planned or carried out.