Washington DC [US], July 28 : US President Donald Trump on Tuesday again warned of further military action against Iran, saying he could target key infrastructure, including bridges and power plants, if Tehran fails to reach a deal with Washington.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said that if Iran does not agree to a deal, the US could resume military operations and “finish the job”.
“If they don’t make a deal, then I go back, and I finish the job. But that’s going to take them forever to rebuild. Already, it’ll take them many years to ever to rebuild,” Trump said during a phone interview with Fox News.
Trump said that targeting Iran’s bridges would be an option, adding that such strikes could be carried out quickly.
“And if I go back and finish up the job, as some people would like, with the bridges…very easy, I could take out most of their bridges in less than an hour, less than an hour,” he said.
The US President also said that power plants could be targeted, describing them as among the most difficult infrastructure projects to rebuild.
“The hardest thing to build is a power plant. The longest thing to build is a bridge,” he said.
Trump said he would not target desalination plants, arguing that such action would directly affect civilians.
“And who am I hurting there? I’m hurting the people. So I’m not looking to do that,” the US President said to Fox News.
Trump, during the interview, also pushed back against reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intended to share intelligence regarding Iran’s efforts to rebuild its nuclear programme, ahead of their meeting at the White House.
Asked about Netanyahu’s plans during the interview, Trump said the US was already monitoring Iran’s nuclear activities.
“I don’t need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved,” Trump said.
“I heard Bibi announce that. I said, ‘Why didn’t you just tell it me, why do you have to announce it to the world?'” he added.
Trump said the US was aware of developments related to Iran’s nuclear programme and referred to the Pickaxe Mountain site, which is believed to be linked to Iran’s nuclear activities.
“I know exactly what is going on at Pickaxe Mountain. It’s not a big problem,” Trump said.
“We took out their nuclear sites, and we’ll have to take out Pickaxe Mountain if they don’t make a deal,” he added.
His remark comes ahead of his meeting with Netanyahu at the White House.
According to CNN, citing a White House official, the two leaders are expected to discuss the war in Iran, progress in negotiations with Lebanon, and efforts to expand the Abraham Accords. (ANI)
