(The Hill) – President Trump on Friday said he’d consider bombing Iran again if the U.S. gathers intelligence that raises concerns about the country’s uranium enrichment capabilities.
“Sure, without question, absolutely,” Trump said, when asked during a press briefing if a second wave of bombings was possible.
Trump said later he was “not really” worried about secret nuclear sites in Iran.
“They’re exhausted,” he said of Iran’s leaders. “The last thing they’re thinking about is nuclear weapons right now.”
The Trump administration has insisted this week that Iran’s nuclear program was completely destroyed by U.S. bombings and missile strikes on Saturday. Democrats have been unconvinced by House and Senate intelligence briefings this week.
There’s little dispute that the strikes did major damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, but there are conflicting assessments over just how far its broader nuclear program was set back.
An initial Pentagon assessment said the attacks set Iran’s nuclear program back by months, not years, however, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed back hard on those findings.
It’s also unclear whether Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium remained in the targeted facilities, with some reports suggesting it was moved elsewhere before the U.S. attacks.
Lawmakers have raised concerns that if the strikes did not drastically push back Iran’s nuclear timeline, there may be a case for striking again.
“We’ve got the president saying one thing … and based on the [Pentagon’s] DIA analysis, it’s different,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the top Homeland Security Democrat, said on Wednesday.
“His approach, potentially, could get us in trouble. If we don’t up our diplomacy game, then all bets are off,” he added. “The worst thing we need is a broader conflict.”
Trump brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that took effect within days of the U.S. bombing. It got off to a shaky start but has held through the week.
Democrats remained skeptical of Trump’s claims the U.S. “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program following briefings with Trump officials on Thursday and Friday.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said there are “just too many unknowns” to determine whether Iran would “make a dash for the bomb” in the near future.
“Do they now want to be more like North Korea and be a nuclear state than a nuclear threshold state? We don’t know and it will take time before we do know,” he told ABC News.
Trump said earlier this week that a nuclear deal with Iran was not “necessary” after the strikes, but has not closed the door to diplomacy.
The president said U.S. and Iranian officials would meet next week. The White House said on Thursday that no meeting has been scheduled.
