President Donald Trump said Friday he doubts Iran will attempt to revive its nuclear program in the near future, describing recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as leaving them “obliterated.”

In a lengthy statement posted to his Truth Social account, Trump asserted that Iran’s three primary nuclear sites were “destroyed” in what he called a precision operation carried out by American forces. He praised U.S. pilots for executing a difficult mission under extreme conditions.

“They hit it right down in the spot — 52,000 feet, dark, no moon. You couldn’t see a thing. And they hit the refrigerator door, as they say,” Trump said, referencing the narrow concrete hatches reportedly targeted in the airstrikes.

According to the former president, the facilities had been reinforced with thick concrete, and the bombs struck as workers attempted to seal the sites, leaving them unusable.

Trump insisted the damage would take years for Iran to overcome, if ever, and suggested the regime might abandon its nuclear ambitions entirely. “They spent over $1 trillion on nuclear, and they never got it together,” he said. “Time will tell, but I don’t believe that they’re going to go back into nuclear anytime soon.”

Trump also revealed that he had been prepared to ease certain sanctions on Iran as a gesture to encourage talks, but said he canceled those plans after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei downplayed the strikes and threatened further retaliation against American forces.

Khamenei, who accused Trump of “exaggerating” the damage, vowed that Iran could deliver more “slaps” in the region. Trump fired back, blasting the Iranian leader’s statements as “blatantly and foolishly false” and “unbefitting of a man of great faith.”

“He was going to die a very ugly and ignominious death,” Trump wrote, claiming he personally intervened to prevent Khamenei’s assassination during the campaign. He said Israeli aircraft en route to Tehran were ordered to stand down on his command to avoid an even larger escalation.

Trump portrayed himself as a stabilizing force who restrained allies from escalating the conflict. “They are always so angry, hostile, and unhappy,” he wrote of Iran’s leadership. “And look at what it has gotten them.”

The president also suggested that as part of eventual negotiations, Iran would allow the International Atomic Energy Agency — or another trusted entity — to inspect the destroyed sites, and did not rule out the possibility of American inspectors on Iranian soil.

Trump’s remarks came ahead of reports of potential indirect talks between the United States and Iran. He expressed confidence that Tehran would be willing to negotiate after the airstrikes, despite ongoing rhetoric from Iranian officials.

He ended his social media post with a pointed note of advice to Iran’s leaders: “You often get more with honey than you do with vinegar. Peace!!!”

In a separate interview, Trump credited the U.S. military with achieving “one of the greatest precision strikes ever” and criticized news outlets for initially downplaying the attack’s success.

“This was delayed credit,” he said. “For our great pilots and these great Americans.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)