US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Iran’s nuclear arsenal had been “totally obliterated” and called on Middle Eastern nations to join the Abraham Accords, framing the strikes as a pathway to regional peace.
“Now that the nuclear arsenal being ‘created’ by Iran has been totally OBLITERATED, it is very important to me that all Middle Eastern Countries join the Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “This will ensure PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST.”
The Abraham Accords, launched in 2020, are a series of normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab states, brokered by the United States.
‘A very evil place’
The post followed remarks on Wednesday in which Trump described Iran as “a very evil place” and predicted major changes in the region over the coming years, citing US efforts to halt Tehran’s nuclear program and prevent regional war.
“Iran was the perpetrator of hate, a very evil place. And I think it’s going to be a lot different in the coming years,” Trump said at a press conference. “We have stopped wars in the Middle East by stopping Iran from having a nuclear weapon.”
“They can say they’re going to start all over again. But that’s a very dangerous thing for them to do, because we’ll be back as soon as they start. And I think they understand that,” he added.
Nuclear sites targeted in June strikes
Trump’s remarks come after a 12-day conflict in June between Iran and Israel that ended with US airstrikes on nuclear facilities at Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow. The strikes destroyed critical infrastructure and killed senior military and scientific figures, as well as hundreds of civilians. Iran responded with missile attacks that killed at least 27 Israeli civilians.
Trump has repeatedly said the US “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran has denied pursuing weapons but acknowledged serious damage to several sites.
Iran restricts nuclear access
Following the attacks, International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors left Iran, and Iranian authorities announced they would no longer permit visits to the affected facilities. On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized the UN watchdog for failing to condemn the strikes.
“If the agency wants to visit our sites, they’ve been bombed,” Araghchi said in an interview with state TV. “Tell us—how do you expect to inspect a bombed nuclear facility?”
He said a senior IAEA official had been invited to Tehran for talks but added, “He’s not coming for inspections—we have not allowed and will not allow that.”
A law passed by Iran’s parliament now requires all nuclear cooperation to be approved by the Supreme National Security Council, effectively limiting UN oversight.
No timetable for diplomacy
“There is no confirmed time or place for any negotiations with the US,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a radio interview on Thursday, dismissing reports of scheduled talks as “fake” and designed to stoke tension.
Baghaei acknowledged that messages continue to be exchanged through indirect channels, including the Swiss and Pakistani embassies in Tehran and Washington, which represent US and Iranian interests, respectively.
Trump said last month that Iran wants to talk but added, “The United States is in no rush.”
