Trump Claims Iran's Nuclear Weapons Acquisition Blocked, Points Out IAEA Verification Gaps

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, claimed that airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities prevented Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that it is difficult to conclude that damage to nuclear facilities equates to blocking nuclear weapons development. The White House reported on July 28 that President Trump said in an interview, "They will never have nuclear weapons." The U.S. Department of Defense explained that three Iranian nuclear facilities were targeted through "Operation Midnight Hammer" on June 22, 2025. It was noted that the airstrikes caused serious damage to Iran's nuclear program, but it was also mentioned that an initial assessment of combat damage was underway. The combat damage assessment is a procedure to determine the extent of damage to targets after military operations, and until this assessment is completed, it is necessary to separate the destruction of facilities from the long-term capabilities of the nuclear program. The IAEA pointed out that it lacks sufficient access to verify Iran's stockpiles of enriched and low-enriched uranium. President Trump's remarks are interpreted as a message that the U.S. intends to combine military pressure with negotiations. The stakeholders in this matter are clearly the U.S., the IAEA, and Iran.