Trump says US can hit one or two Iranian nuclear sites in 10 minutes

WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump has warned Iran that one or two of its nuclear facilities are still within reach of American action and could be struck in just 10 minutes if needed.

According to media reports, Mr Trump, speaking about the ongoing talks with Iran, said the discussions between the two countries were moving in the right direction and that Iran was interested in reaching a deal. However, he said Washington did not want to rush the matter.

Expressing distrust of Iran’s conduct, Mr Trump said Tehran backs away from its commitments after making an agreement, so he does not consider it very reliable. He said it remained to be seen whether Iran would actually reach a deal.

Asked about fresh attacks on Iran, Mr Trump called it a foolish question. However, he claimed that the United States had already struck Iran’s navy, air force, air defence systems and several nuclear facilities.

He said action on one or two of Iran’s nuclear facilities was still pending, and that if it was felt necessary, the US military had the capability to strike them in a very short time.