President Donald Trump has now reportedly voiced strong support on Friday for the return of international inspectors to Iran’s nuclear facilities, following U.S. and Israeli military strikes that targeted key enrichment sites earlier this month.
Speaking from the White House, Trump described the recent strikes—reportedly focused on underground sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—as “highly successful,” claiming they had dealt a severe blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
He stated that he did not believe Tehran would resume its nuclear program “anytime soon,” and added, “I’d like inspectors—whether from the IAEA or another trusted body—to go in and check.”
The comments reflect Trump’s growing confidence in his administration’s pressure campaign, which has combined aggressive military action with calls for renewed oversight.
The strikes marked one of the most significant U.S. escalations in the region in years and were coordinated closely with Israeli defense officials.
While the full impact of the attacks remains the subject of debate among U.S. intelligence agencies, Trump maintained that Iran’s program had been “obliterated.”
Still, he left the door open to future strikes, warning that if Iran resumed high-level uranium enrichment, “they’d face the consequences again.”
Iran’s leadership, for its part, has dismissed the strikes as symbolic and retaliatory, and lawmakers in Tehran moved quickly to suspend access to international inspectors.
That decision has drawn criticism from Western diplomats and nonproliferation experts, who warn that the absence of inspections could further destabilize already-tenuous diplomatic efforts.
Trump, however, signaled cautious optimism about a possible diplomatic thaw, revealing that Iranian intermediaries had expressed a willingness to meet, though he emphasized that such talks were not yet formal negotiations.
He reiterated that meaningful diplomacy would be “impossible” without verification and transparency from Tehran.
U.S. officials are reportedly exploring the possibility of new nuclear talks as early as next week, though such efforts face hurdles amid ongoing skepticism in both Washington and Tehran.
With international inspectors currently barred from key sites, the scope and speed of any future diplomatic resolution remain uncertain.
In the meantime, the administration appears poised to pursue a mix of military deterrence and diplomatic engagement—a high-stakes balancing act with nuclear oversight at its center.
Whether Iran will allow inspectors back into its facilities may prove decisive in shaping the next phase of U.S.-Iran relations.
[READ MORE: Iranian Nuclear Chief Reveals Plans to Restart Enrichment Program]
