In a telephone interview with Fox News, US President Donald Trump appeared to play down Netanyahu’s claims that Iran is attempting to restart its nuclear programme. “I don’t need Bibi to tell me that. He’s telling me because he wants me to stay involved,” he said, using the nickname he often uses for the Israeli Prime Minister. “With the Space Force, we have the best surveillance systems in the world. We have a complete picture of what’s happening,” he added.

Trump maintained that US intelligence agencies have full knowledge of what is taking place at Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying Washington is closely monitoring the Pickaxe Mountain area, which is believed to be a possible nuclear site. “We destroyed their nuclear facilities, and if they don’t make a deal, we’re going to have to destroy Pickaxe Mountain too,” he said.

Trump also stressed that he had saved Israel by halting Iran’s nuclear programme: “If I weren’t president today, Israel wouldn’t exist.”

Fresh threats against bridges and power stations

The US President also revived the prospect of strikes on Iran’s critical infrastructure, claiming he could destroy the country’s largest bridges within a very short space of time. “If they don’t make a deal, I’ll go back and finish the job. I can very easily destroy most of their major bridges in less than two hours,” he said.

He added that power generation stations could also become targets: “Within a single day, every power generation plant would be destroyed. Bridges take years to rebuild, and power stations are also extremely difficult to replace,” he claimed.

“We control the Strait of Hormuz”

Trump also addressed the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which much of the world’s oil trade passes, insisting that the United States has complete control of the area. “We control the Strait of Hormuz. They can drop a few mines and cause some problems, but the control is ours. Our Navy is incredible,” he said.

According to Trump, Iran’s naval blockade was reinstated after the United States resumed military operations there roughly two weeks ago, accusing Tehran of violating the memorandum of understanding signed in June. “We can’t allow them to keep violating agreements. Every time we discuss the nuclear programme, they suddenly say there are no talks. That’s exactly what we’re discussing,” he said.

The US President reiterated that Washington would prefer a diplomatic solution, but warned that if no agreement is reached, the United States stands ready to launch new military operations against Iran’s critical infrastructure.