According to ABC News, U.S. President Donald Trump said on July 21 that as the US-Iran conflict continues to escalate, the United States may soon target Iran's underground nuclear facilities in 'Baikonur'.
"We will soon launch a strike against that area, and the force of the strike will be extremely powerful." Trump said in the Oval Office of the White House to reporters.
"Gaoshan" is located near the Natanz nuclear facility in Isfahan province in central Iran and is considered one of Iran's most secure underground nuclear facilities.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the 21st that Israeli intelligence agencies believe that after the United States targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year, Iran moved thousands of uranium enrichment centrifuges to a secret facility called “Beisan” buried deep underground during the autumn of last year.
Reports indicate that it is still unclear whether Iran is transferring centrifuges to “Gaoshan” to build enrichment facilities, or merely to protect existing equipment from destruction.
Trump stated on July 13 that "Gaoshan" could be an "excellent target for a major strike." This was the first time he explicitly mentioned "Gaoshan" as a potential target for attacks.
On July 21, when asked about the report by The Wall Street Journal, Trump did not deny it. He stated that Iran might have transferred centrifuge machines there, but “we have no official records.” He also said that unless Iran possesses nuclear materials, having facilities alone is meaningless. “What we are tracking are the materials; that’s what matters.”
Trump has been considering whether to take military action to remove nearly 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium from Iran. However, experts and former U.S. government officials have warned that such an approach is complex, dangerous, and time-consuming.
Besides the discussions about "Hōshān," Trump also stated on August 21st that there is evidence suggesting Iran is attempting to rebuild its nuclear program.
"They may be trying to rebuild some facilities," Trump said. "We will strike those facilities. Anything that they even use for nuclear programs, we'll launch an extremely violent attack on it."
According to Iranian media reports, the central headquarters of the Iranian armed forces, Houtham Anbiya, issued a statement on the morning of the 22nd warning that any attack by US forces against Iranian nuclear facilities or other sensitive facilities would be seen as an extension of the war in the region.
The statement says that in such circumstances, “all interests of the United States, as well as those of their allies and supporters, will be targets of strong attacks by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
