Trump says he ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear hopes with B-2 strike

“I also obliterated Iran's nuclear hopes by totally annihilating their enriched uranium,” Trump told a dinner hosted by the conservative American Cornerstone Institute. He described the B-2 stealth bombers that executed the raid as “beautiful” and said the pilots flew for 37 hours with the support of 52 refueling tankers.

“Every single one of those bombs hit its targets. It was absolutely amazing and they were the heroes,” he said.

Trump recounted meeting the pilots and mechanics after the mission, comparing them to film star Tom Cruise. According to his account, the airmen said they had practiced the strike for more than two decades and told him he was “the only president that had the courage to let us go and do our thing.”

His remarks come as the dispute over uranium enrichment remains the central obstacle in nuclear talks. Iranian officials insist their country’s right to enrich uranium on its own soil is non-negotiable under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, framing it as a matter of sovereignty. The United States argues that enrichment inside Iran poses an unacceptable proliferation risk and maintains Tehran can meet civilian nuclear needs through international supply.

Negotiations have stalled over this gap, with Tehran refusing to sign any accord without recognition of its enrichment rights, while Washington and European allies see such recognition as legitimizing a path to weaponization.

The deadlock has deepened after US strikes in June shut down Iran’s nuclear facilities, halting production and leaving the fate of hundreds of kilograms of enriched uranium unclear.

The European push to trigger the UN snapback mechanism this month means sanctions suspended under the 2015 deal will now return, further isolating Tehran.

An Iranian lawmaker lashed out at Western powers after the reimposition of UN sanctions, framing the move as part of a wider campaign to weaken the country.

“The US and three European states have illegally reimposed sanctions. For years they have shown enmity through sanctions and war. Their aim is Iran’s surrender and disintegration. The only path forward is resistance and strength,” said Mahmoud Nabavian, a member of parliament, in response to the snapback triggered by the United States, Britain, France and Germany.

His remarks came after Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it would suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog if sanctions are revived.

An Iranian lawmaker on Saturday called for the Islamic Republic’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and development of a nuclear weapon in response to the imminent snapback of UN sanctions.

"If we are to be sanctioned again by the United Nations over the false accusation of seeking nuclear weapons, why should we be deprived of possessing them in this lawless jungle where brute force is the only rule?!” said Mohammad-Mannan Raeisi, deputy head of the parliament’s Construction Commission.

He added: “Iran’s continued presence in the NPT, while once again being sanctioned by the United Nations over the false accusation of nuclear weapons, is the worst of both worlds.”

The UN Security Council’s decision not to lift sanctions on Iran has heightened the stakes for Tehran, with hardliners pushing for nuclear escalation, reformists urging engagement, and a public already strained by inflation.

Hardliners and ultra-hardliners in Tehran, who have long dismissed the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) as a “total failure,” downplayed the impact of the UN’s decision and called for withdrawal from the NPT.

Meanwhile, reformists are calling for urgent diplomacy.

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The council, in a meeting chaired by President Masoud Pezeshkian, concluded that despite months of engagement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, “the path of collaboration will in practice be suspended" following the Europeans' push for reinstating UN sanctions on Iran, state media reported.

The foreign ministry was also tasked with continuing diplomatic outreach in line with the Council’s decisions.

On September 9, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signed an agreement in Cairo that set out procedures for inspections, notifications, and reporting obligations.

However, Araghchi said at the time that the agreement would be scrapped if European powers proceed with reimposing UN sanctions on Iran through the so-called "snapback" mechanism.

President Pezeshkian in remarks made on Saturday rejected what he described as Western pressure over the country's nuclear program.

“They have decided to bring back the snapback (sanctions),” he said. “They can close the paths, but minds and ideas will build new ones. They can strike Natanz and Fordow, but people will create Natanz and even more important than Natanz. They cannot stop us.”

The UN Security Council on Friday rejected a South Korean-sponsored draft resolution that sought to permanently lift sanctions suspended under the 2015 nuclear deal. With that proposal defeated, all international sanctions are due to automatically snap back into place on September 28.

Iran’s currency weakened further on Saturday after the UN Security Council's vote. The dollar, which opened the day around 1,013,000 rials on the free market, rose above 1,035,000 by midday and later reached 1,036,700, according to local exchange trackers.