‘Bomb Went Through Like Butter’: Trump Says Tehran Is ‘Exhausted, Can’t Retaliate’

By Kamaran Aziz

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) — U.S. President Donald Trump, in a comprehensive interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, delivered a forceful defense of recent U.S. military actions against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, asserting that key underground facilities had been completely destroyed in a preemptive strike coordinated with Israel. Trump’s remarks came amid heightened regional tension in the Middle East.

During the interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Trump explained that Tehran’s insistence on uranium enrichment ultimately derailed negotiations and triggered military action. “They had three main sites, and we knew they’re gonna have to either give them up. And I thought we could do it during negotiation, and we just about had it done,” Trump said. “And then they said, we want enrichment. Enrichment doesn’t mean, like, air conditioning... Enrichment is a bad word.”

According to Trump, the 60-day negotiations with Iran bought critical time but failed to yield a breakthrough. “Then we said, let's go at it. And it just worked out,” he said, referring to the eventual decision to launch airstrikes.

Trump detailed the capabilities of the weapons used in the operation, boasting of their power to penetrate fortified underground structures. “Those pilots went in there with... the most sophisticated bombs anywhere in the world. Think of it. They can go 30 stories deep into granite. Who would think that's even possible?” He added that the facilities “were obliterated like nobody’s ever seen before.”

Challenging media skepticism, Trump accused major U.S. outlets of downplaying the success of the operation. “CNN and the New York Times were saying, maybe it wasn’t as good as Trump said... And then it turned out, no, it was obliterated like nobody’s ever seen before.”

When asked about possible attempts by Iran to relocate its enriched uranium before the strikes, Trump categorically denied it. “They didn’t move anything. You know what? They moved themselves. They were all trying to live... They didn’t think it was going to be actually doable.”

He emphasized the precision of the air and submarine-launched attacks. “They hit a target... half the size of a refrigerator door from 50,000 feet up in the air,” he said. “We launched 30 rockets from submarines. Every single one of them hit their target.”

Trump said that some Iranian workers had been trying to fortify the entrance to the sites just before the strike. “They were trying to seal up the entrance... and the bomb went through it like it was butter.”

Asked whether the regime might resume its nuclear activities, Trump expressed confidence in the deterrent effect of the strikes. “The last thing they’re gonna do right now for a period of time at least is nuclear. They’ve had it. They’ve been trying it for 25 years.”

Bartiromo referenced reports that the Iranian regime had executed more civilians in the 48 hours following the conflict than had died in combat. Trump acknowledged Iran’s repressive actions but insisted the regime is weakened. “They are exhausted. They took hits like nobody’s ever taken.”

In a broader geopolitical context, Trump said Iran had missed its chance to integrate into regional diplomacy through the Abraham Accords. “I actually thought Iran would join... They would have been better off than where they are right now.”

Trump also revealed that he had lifted sanctions on Syria at the request of allied countries, noting, “Sanctions are biting. They're very strong.” He linked this to his overall strategy of using sanctions strategically. “You get more sometimes with honey than you do with vinegar,” he remarked.

Responding to Bartiromo’s question about waiving oil sanctions to China, Trump clarified, “We have the sanctions on. And if they do a job and if they can be peaceful... I would take the sanctions off.” He reiterated that Iran must abandon its nuclear ambitions to benefit from such leniency.

Trump warned that the reason Iran sought nuclear capability was not peaceful. “They were trying to develop a bomb... and the reason you try and develop a bomb like that is to use it.”

Looking ahead, Trump said he had no illusions about the long-term intentions of the Iranian regime but stressed that the current U.S.-led action had bought valuable time.

The interview also touched on honoring the American pilots who carried out the strikes. Trump confirmed that those involved in the operation would be recognized at the White House for their bravery. “They flew 36 hours in a small space... and they hit every single target.”

Asserting the broader strategic gains, Trump claimed the operation prevented a wider regional escalation. “We destroyed their nuclear capability, and we stopped. It was a beautiful thing.” He praised the coordination with Israel, noting the campaign as one of the most intense military engagements in years.

The U.S. President also took credit for reasserting U.S. dominance in the region, recalling that leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE had praised the U.S. turnaround. “They said, ‘You’re presiding now over the hottest country in the world’... and a year ago, we thought your country was dead.”

When asked about Iran’s future cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Trump stated, “They've been trying it for twenty five years. The last thing they're gonna do is nuclear. We had to hit them, though. They were close to getting a nuclear bomb, absolutely.”

Despite a wide-ranging discussion that included China, NATO, and trade policy, Iran remained the focal point of the interview. Trump closed his comments with a reaffirmation of his long-held position: “If you look back... I would say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

You can read the transcript of the interview below:

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: Mister president, you were just coming off of one of the most consequential weeks anybody has ever seen from striking Iran to going to NATO, to to announcing two deals and then this Supreme Court victory. Have you been able to digest what has occurred in the last seven days?

U.S. President Donald Trump: Not really. It was pretty wild period of time, and I really think in six months, we've taken the country and turned it around. It's, I was told by the king of Saudi Arabia, by the leader of Qatar and the leader of UAE, when we went over there, we brought back $5,100,000,000,000 investment into The United States. They said, you know, you're presiding now over the hottest country in the world, and a year ago, we thought your country was dead. It could never come back. It was so incompetently run by a very bad president. And, I said, You're right. This country is hot. And it's and that was a couple of months ago. You know, now we're talking about what we've done, recently. So the country is really going. The numbers are great. I watch you in the mornings, and you're giving those numbers, and they're really good. No inflation. We have a bad Fed chairman, but other than that, we have, you know, great. It doesn't even matter. The numbers are so good. It doesn't matter that it keeps the rates artificially high. But it's, it's been an amazing it's been amazing period of time.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: When you went to The Middle East and you strengthened those relationships with all of those countries you just mentioned, did you have an idea that you would have to do something with regard to Iran? Because you teased it a little. You said, look, they've gotta come to the table and talk. Something's gonna happen.

U.S. President Donald Trump: Well, it was getting a little bit hot, and we knew they had, a lot of sites, probably three plus the one. But it's, they had three main sites, and we knew they're gonna have to either give them up. And I thought we could do it during negotiation, and we just about had it done. And then they said, we want enrichment. Enrichment doesn't mean, like, air conditioning, and it doesn't mean to jack up your car. Enrichment is a bad word. And they said, you got so much oil. What do you need that for? And they said, well, we need it. We need it. And I wouldn't let that happen. I think people wouldn't have understood it if I allowed that to happen. So, we had a sixty day talk, and that delayed them a lot. And then we said, let's go at it. And it just worked out. And we wanted to work out also for Iran. They were beaten up, and so was Israel and all fairness. They were both very tight. We call it the twelve day war. That was an intensive war. But the, thing that I wanted to do, and I've said it on your show, if you look back thirty years ago or twenty five years, we've been doing your show a long time and nobody like you. But, you look back at the early interviews, I would say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They've wanted this for years, and they were weeks away from getting it. And those pilots went in there with that those beautiful planes and the most sophisticated bombs anywhere in the world. Think of it. They can go 30 stores deep into granite. Who would think that's even possible? And they did obliterate it, it turned out. Then we had to suffer the fake news, where the fake news in CNN and the New York Times was saying, well, maybe it wasn't as good as Trump said. Maybe it wasn't totally obliterated, but it was destroyed, but not a you know, just horrible. And I could see it happening, and they tried to build that into a story. And then it turned out, no, it was obliterated like nobody's ever seen before. And that meant the end to their, nuclear ambitions, at least for a period of time. And, you know, a lot of people have said, well, do you think they're gonna start again? I said, the last thing they wanna do right now is think about nuclear. They have to put themselves back into condition and shape.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: You tweeted, the Democrats leaked an intelligence …

U.S. President Donald Trump: They should be prosecuted.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: Who specifically? Do I know? Able to find out?

U.S. President Donald Trump: If they want or they could find out easily, you know. You go up and tell the reporter national security who gave it. You have to do that, and, I suspect we'll be doing things like that.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: Well, those pilots were so courageous and, you know, you wanna honor them. Are you gonna do something for them?

U.S. President Donald Trump: Yes, they're gonna come to the White House, but but you what you said is right. These people flew thirty six hours in a small space, a big plane, but a small space that was mostly occupied by bombs, and they flew so brilliantly, and they hit a target the size of this circle. They a little target, they say, half the size of a refrigerator door from 50,000 feet up in the air going at a rapid speed because they're going very fast when they're, you know, they're over a pretty rough territory. And they hit it every single time and then they knocked out two other sites aside from that.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: Do you think that the Iran regime hid some of the enriched uranium before the strikes?

U.S. President Donald Trump: No. You mean did they take it out of the deep one? No.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: Because you were pretty clear you can't have a a weapon. You're gonna have to come to the talk. Something's gonna happen. Happen.

U.S. President Donald Trump: I don't think they did. No. I think, first of all, it's very hard to do. It's very dangerous to do. It's very heavy. Very, very heavy. It's a very hard thing to do. Plus, we didn't give much notice because they didn't know we were coming until just, you know, then. And nobody thought we'd go after that site because everybody said that site is impenetrable. You can't you know, you're not gonna be at this way. They did it. It's at the bottom of a mountain. And, and it's granite. You know, granite's the hardest stone and it's granite. So, no, they didn't. But I do believe they had people there because you had cars. You know, they were saying cars. And those were masons. Those were people working with concrete. They were trying to seal up the entrance to where the bomb would most likely go in. And they did that. They were working on that, and the bomb went through it like it was butter, like it was absolute butter.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: Because I I I saw reports that there were 400 kilograms, 800 pounds that they that they moved, but I wonder if it's traceable. I mean, if they were to have moved

U.S. President Donald Trump: They didn't move anything. They didn't move anything. You know what? They moved themselves. They were all trying to live. They didn't move anything. They didn't think it was gonna be actually a doable, what we did. And what we did was amazing. And they, you know, we went there were energy commissions that went there now. No. It's just, thousands of tons of of rock, in that room right now. That room, the whole place was just destroyed. And the other two also. Now, Israel was able to do damage, but we did the final damage. And, we have the greatest submarines in the world. We launched 30 rockets from submarines. Every single one of them hit their target.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: How will you know if he tries to start things up again? Because Iran just said that they are halting cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

U.S. President Donald Trump: The last thing they're gonna be doing right now for a period of time at least is nuclear. They've had it. They've been trying it for twenty five years. The last thing they're gonna do is nuclear. We had to hit them, though. They were close to getting a nuclear bomb, absolutely.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: Yeah. I mean and look. I've heard from people inside Iran that the regime in Iran has executed more Iranian civilians in the past forty eight hours, than the number of Iranians who died in the twelve day war. So, I mean, you've got a regime that's been building ballistic missiles, building or trying to build up a nuclear weapon. Why should we think that they're actually going to give up on this?

U.S. President Donald Trump: Well, they might not give up, but they're gonna give up on it. Well, they're exhausted. They are exhausted. They took hits like nobody's ever taken. And frankly, Israel is tight. They wanted to it was the perfect time. We went in, we destroyed their nuclear capability, and we stopped. It was a beautiful thing. And they couldn't have gone on much further. And Israel was very that was a very intense twelve days. Very, very intense.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: Has any other country suggested to you recently, as a result of this, that they want to join the Abraham Accords?

U.S. President Donald Trump: Yes. So we have some really great countries in there right now, and I think we're gonna start loading them up because, Iran was the primary problem. I actually thought Iran would I I actually thought we had a period of time where I thought Iran would join the Abraham Accords along with everybody else. And frankly, they would have been better off than where they are right now.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: And what about the Abraham Accords? Would Syria enter?

U.S. President Donald Trump: Well, I don't know. But, you know, I did take off the sanctions at the request of some of the other countries in the area that are friends of ours. I took off the sanctions on Syria to give them a chance at, you know, the sanctions are biting. They're very strong. And we have sanctions on Iran too. And, you know, you take them off when I I sort of gave the expression today, you get more sometimes with honey than you do with vinegar.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: But you waived the sanctions on the oil with regard to China. So you're allowing China to still buy the oil from Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump: No. I didn't say that. We have the sanctions on. And if they do a job and if they can be peaceful and if they can show us they're not gonna do any more harm, I would take the sanctions off and the sanctions would make a big difference as you know. You know, when I was, we had a great success in the first time. We had the greatest economy in the history of our country. By the way, it's gonna be absolutely this is better. This is gonna be, I think, even much better. But we are the greatest economy in history, and we use sanctions. You use them very carefully. You know, sanctions cost us a lot of money. It's not just, gee, we're gonna put sanctions on. When you do sanctions, it costs a lot of money. But I would, one of the things I was thinking about doing, you start waiving them for countries, like, if they if they behave themselves like Iran, where they can sell oil and they can do the things that you wanna be able to do. The sanctions are very powerful, and it makes it difficult. I'm not looking to make it difficult. I want them to have a good life. But, they were trying to develop a bomb and the reason you try and develop a bomb like that is to use it.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: But I wanna get your take on on China really because you've announced an agreement with with the Chinese Communist Party, which China will export the rare earth minerals.

U.S. President Donald Trump: Yeah.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: What does that mean in terms of this upcoming tariff structure? You've got a pause in terms of the more steep tariffs that that ends August 12. Are you gonna extend that? Are you gonna keep that in place or go back to a higher tariff on China?

U.S. President Donald Trump: China's gonna be paying a lot of tariffs, but we have a big deficit. They understand that. I have a great relationship with president Xi. We have to do something about the deficit because we have a big trade deficit with China. Biden let it get up to a trillion dollars. Think of it. A trillion dollars deficit with one country. He let them just take them over the calls. We're not gonna do that. But we're doing a rare earth deal, but we're also doing remember, we have all of the airplane parts. They can't fly their airplanes without us. So we had, you know, some cards also. But it should have never gotten that way because we should have been doing the they call it magnets. It's rare earth, but they call it magnets, a specific type. And, they're making those magnets for us right now and things are well. And we have a we have a deal with China. It's a good deal, I think, hopefully, for everybody. We had a deal with China where it was a 145% tariffs. And I will tell you, everything stopped in China. I saw that. Everything stopped. And we did China a favor, but we're getting along well with China. I think getting along well with China is a very good thing, but they are paying substantial tariffs.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: I noticed that because it seems like you go so far with China, but you don't sort of use the leverage that you can use. I mean, look.

U.S. President Donald Trump: If I ever had to use it, I'd use it. But when there's no reason to use it, that's good too.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: Well, we did just arrest three or four Chinese nationals who tried to bring a pathogen into the country that gets people sick and destroys food supply.

U.S. President Donald Trump: You don't know where that came from. I mean, did that come from the country, or is that through WACOs that happened to carry something? You know, you just don't

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: Well, there was one that he signed that he would be, one of them signed a paper saying that he would, value Mao Zedong's value system. So there was that. And then they hacked and they hacked into our telecom system. They've been stealing intellectual property. They fentanyl, COVID. I mean, you know, all of this stuff. So how do you negotiate with, obviously, a bad actor

U.S. President Donald Trump: You don't think we do that to them? We do. We do a lot of things.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: So that’s the way the world works?

U.S. President Donald Trump: It's the way the world works. It's a nasty world.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: And then you just do a trade deal?

U.S. President Donald Trump: We do. Well, we made a lot of money with this trade deal. You know? I do a trade deal if it works. We made a lot of money with the trade deal.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: You think that China's gonna stop bullying companies to give them information in terms of, in exchange for getting those rare earth minerals now? What would the system be able to scale?

U.S. President Donald Trump: Companies shouldn't put themselves in that position. You know? They really shouldn't now. I will say this. China right now needs those companies much more than they needed them two years ago. Two years ago, China could do that. Today, they can't because they need those companies. They need Apple. They need all of you know, Apple's building spending $600,000,000,000 $700,000,000,000 in The United States building plants. They were never gonna do that. Think of it, 700,000,000,000. But a lot of the companies that are in China are now relocating back to The United States. So, yeah, China's gonna treat them much better as they need them. They didn't need them under Biden because they were ripping us off left and right. They need them under Trump.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: You just had a big success at NATO getting the members to agree to spend more on defense. Is there anything you can do to get Congress to codify this? To to to get their governments to codify it.

U.S. President Donald Trump: You can what you do, the best insurance is if they don't do it, you leave. You don't do business with them anymore. You know? You don't do business. You have to have a certain trust. But you can also say trust but verify. But we're making unbelievable dis...

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: There is litigation around the legality of those tariffs. Are you gonna be able to get more trade deals done before you hear from the International Court of Appeals in in August?

U.S. President Donald Trump: Sure. But we won the litigation, and we had the delay, and we had some, radical left judge, and then we had it overturned. And, we're doing well in all of our litigation. We're doing well on the tariff litigation. Look, if some judge said we can't do tariffs, we would fall prey to the rest of the world who would do tariffs and are doing tariffs on us. If we couldn't fight them back with tariffs, this country would be in terrible shape. We would be, like this innocent lamb being led to slaughter. So, no. We're doing great on economics. We're doing great on tariffs. Tariffs is just a part of it. We're drilling like never before. That's how the oil got down low.

Fox News Maria Bartiromo: The Supreme Court victory that you got today, Friday, do you think that could apply to the tariff litigation that's pending here, in terms of the legality of your tariffs? Does does that affect that at all?

U.S. President Donald Trump: It could. But, again, the tariff litigation, if you look at it, there are alternatives if we have to use them. They're not as good because they're not as direct. They're not as biting, but they're very good. So that you have alternatives. But we wanna use this particular asset, this particular grouping. This these the words of this are so beautiful. They were meant for it. But what happens with the tariffs is that if if a judge ruled against us, and this is part of how you win fairness. Fairness is also a part of the law. If a judge ruled against us on tariffs, we would fall prey to other countries destroying us. We can't do that. If they do tariffs on us, we do tariffs on them. If they charge us, we charge them. Then they never charge us.